Across Africa – alone with Parkinson’s

MANY drivers dream of completing a major overland journey – but very few even attempt it.

Last year retired army officer Guy Deacon fulfilled a childhood dream to drive the full length of Africa, going solo down the west flank of Africa to Cape Town in his

4x4 VW 5.1 Transporter.

What made this journey all the more remarkable was that Guy did it with very little use of his hands, poor spatial awareness and often appearing drunk with slurred speech.

Guy, 60, has been living with Parkinson’s disease for 10 years – the fastest-growing neurodegenerative illness worldwide with no known cause or cure.

In Africa, it is often linked to witchcraft and black magic, leaving people ostracised by their communities.

The journey was not without its hazards: Guy crossed 25 borders, endured five major breakdowns, an emergency evacuation from Sierra Leone, and carried 3,650 prescription pills to help manage his condtion.

His incredible overland journey has been turned into a Channel 4 documentary and a book titled Running on Empty, both out on World Parkinson’s Day on April 11.

Covid epidemic

Guy’s last adventure, 18,000 miles across Europe and down Africa, would take the father of two more than a year.

He set off in November 2019 making it as far as Sierra Leone in March 2020 when the Covid epidemic struck.

With the borders closed, he was evacuated by the British Government on an emergency relief flight leaving his trusty van behind.

By the time Guy restarted the journey in March 2022 his condition had deteriorated significantly: everything from the simplest tasks like emptying pockets and tying shoelaces, to going to the loo, putting on clothes and preparing meals became a herculean effort.

Several times he came close to giving up. He had a phone to keep in touch with friends and family, but with his limited dexterity it was not easy.

It was the kindness of strangers that restored his faith and spurred him on in his darkest hours.

Guy lives in Dorset with his wife and their dog. He has two grown up children.