Parkinson's Awareness Day 11th April - Derek's story

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological condition, which means that it causes problems in the brain and gets worse over time and is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. People with Parkinson's don't have enough of the chemical dopamine in their brain because some of the nerve cells that make it have stopped working. Dopamine allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that co-ordinate movement. With the loss of the Dopamine producing nerve cells, these parts of the brain are unable to work normally causing symptoms of Parkinson’s to appear.

There are more than forty symptoms of Parkinson's, which affects everyone differently. The main ones being physical movement, these include; tremors/shaking, which usually begin in the hand or arm, slowness of movement, shuffling walk with very small steps, muscle stiffness, which can make it difficult to move around and make facial expressions. Other symptoms include memory loss, problems sleeping, balance issues, depression and anxiety, loss of sense of smell.

There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s.

Derek Jason, 83, a retired entertainer from North Wingfield, Chesterfield, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s nine years ago.

Derek's story

Derek started his life above a shop in Crystal Palace, London, amidst World War II. At fifteen Derek joined the Royal Marines band and over the next twelve years he completed his commando training earning him his green beret, travelled around the world on an aircraft carrier, became a physical training instructor, earned his jump wings and was parachuted behind enemy lines in the Borneo confrontation of 1964.

Whilst entertaining the troops on board the HMS Centaur, his love of performing began and after he was discharged, he decided to follow his dream. He started singing on the club scene in Manchester, adding impersonations to his performance sometime later, and by the height of his career he was playing all the top venues in the country doing summer seasons in Blackpool, Liverpool and Jersey alongside all the great acts of the 70s and 80s. He became good friends with the likes of Les Dawson, Joe Longthorne and Bernie Clifton. He joined the 60s hit band the Rockin’ Berries for seven years until he went solo again, still performing in clubs and pantomimes throughout the country, until he was, himself, diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Since then, his condition has got progressively worse.

“Although I was in my seventies, I was still busy in the industry and teaching, and I was still doing cabaret and pantomime and working as an extra on Emmerdale, where I would be regularly propping up the bar in the Woolpack. It was Parkinson’s that stopped my showbiz career. I can’t remember what my first symptoms were; I was walking alright, although I was stuttering a bit. I wished I had sat down with my GP to ask her what to expect, but I never did.I couldn’t walk on stage anymore as the Parkinson’s started to grab hold. I just couldn’t think right, so that was the end of my showbiz career. I had to wrap up my singing lessons too and officially retire. I also gave up painting, which I had enjoyed from being a young boy. I had to take a driving assessment to see if I was capable of retaining my licence, but they failed me on memory, so I had to give up my car too and I lost my independence.

That was about nine years ago, and it’s getting worse every day. It’s so frustrating when my brain argues with my feet constantly and I can’t feel them, it’s called freezing, and I’m stuck on the spot. It takes me five minutes to get them to listen to each other before I can start my slow walk to the toilet!”

Forever the comic, Derek has not lost his sense of humour, “You have to have a laugh, or else you’d cry,” he says breaking out into a song or a one liner from one his many impersonations, which include all the greats: Frank Spencer, Tommy Cooper, Worzel Gummidge to name but a few. “Living with Parkinson’s is a battle I know I won’t win, but I still have my green beret and will fight ‘til the death! When I was diagnosed it didn’t help when a friend said to me, ‘You’ve only got so long until your body shuts off and it’s gradual, so you don’t know how long you’ve got.’ You certainly don’t need friends like that,” he laughs.

Derek has lived in Chesterfield for over half his life, after four marriages, he now lives alone with his Cockapoo, Harry. Last year he decided to find someone to help him write his story, before it was too late, to leave as his written legacy for his four daughters. To tell them how it really was for him. His greatest wish is to meet up with them all again.

“Les Dawson, a good friend of mine, wrote five books about his life, and we would sit and chat about my life and what I had done, ‘Derek, you need to write your own book, you’ve led such an interesting life,’ he would tell me. I wish I had done it before because my memory has faded so much. I promised Les I’d write my story and thanks to my ghostwriter, Kay, I have finally done it.”I did have a lot of help with the details from my family and friends and it did take many hours of interviews for Kay to tease out those memories. But the more I reminisced, the more I remembered, especially from my youth. Thankfully Bernie Clifton, remembered in great detail when I met him on the circuit in Blackpool in 1983. He also wrote the foreword for my book, The Many Faces of Derek Jason. We still chat on the phone about the good old days in showbiz. He’s just written his story, Crackerjack to Vegas, and sent me a copy. It’s a cracker.”

Derek, determined to reach ninety years old, has some final wishes before he takes his final curtain. “I want to do one last parachute jump and to visit the Woolpack again as an extra! I see they are introducing Parkinson’s as one of their storylines. I would love to get my old job back,” he laughs.“Despite having Harry, I do get lonely sometimes. Time can really drag on, but writing my book has reminded me what I have achieved in life. I had the best job in the world! I hope writing my story will also document my era in showbiz, as an end of pier entertainer.”Derek would like to use the proceeds of his book to pay for singing lessons for underprivileged children who want to learn to sing. The Many Faces of Derek Jason is available at www.memoriestomemoirs.co.uk for £10 including p&p.