Illness forces man to walk on his hands and knees
Bradley Shaw’s life took a drastic turn after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 15 years ago.
The former bicycle and bike-stunt performer is now reduced to sometimes moving around on his hands and knees. “Nobody couldn’t stunt like him. He was one of the best stunter, and him always a go a him party. He is a party man,”
Shaw’s sister, Alicia, told THE WEEKEND STAR. “A from him in a him 30s him have the disease, but as times go by, it get worse. So now, him actually can’t manage. Sometimes a days him a try to move and come on the road and can’t reach.”
When THE WEEKEND STAR team roved through the hills of Stony Hill, St Andrew, it stumbled upon Shaw hauling himself along the street.
The scars were visible on his knees and hands from attempting to make his way around. After a small but not so successful chat, he managed to convey that he was heading to a nearby restaurant. His mobility is not the only thing affected. His ability to speak also worsened with his condition.
Parkinson’s disease is
a nervous system disorder that affects movement. The condition progressively damages the brain cells, resulting in various ailments, including involuntary shaking of body parts and balance problems that increase the chances of a fall. Alicia said her brother has been in and out of the hospital ever since he fell ill.
“A wah day him come out a hospital. Every day him have to go in. Him always a drop because him a try to walk. Him all drop and mash up him face the other day. Him have it hard. Right now him have a surgery to go cut hernia,” she said. “It grieve me to see him like that because nobody don’t want to see dem brother a drop all about and in a mess. But me just have to understand that life is unpredictable and tomorrow is not promised to nobody.”
Alicia and her sisters have been doing what they can to take the best care of him, and she noted that people in the community also assist, like ensuring that he gets home safely.
“Him was a professional tiler, enuh, but him start get sick, and from him get sick, him can’t do nothing fi help himself. So it kinda hard for we to take care of him now. Little help would be good,” she said.