The future is yours to Cre8

31 May 2023

This piece was written by Cre8 shed client, Geoff Pearson.

Parkinson’s Disease. The neurologist said the words so calmly that at first, I barely reacted. Then gravity of it set in and the questions started flowing. What is it? What does it do? Isn’t it that shaking thing that Michael J Fox has got? Is it serious? Is there a cure for it?

At 42 years of age, Parkinson’s was the last thing I expected to be diagnosed with. I kept myself fit, I rode my pushbike regularly, and jogged often. My diet wasn’t too bad and all my vital signs were within healthy ranges. Why was I getting Parkinson’s? PD is a disease for old people. It made no sense.

I was an engineering lecturer at the time. So, my natural response was to gather information and learn as much about this thing as I could. I thought I’d attack it from a scientist’s perspective and see if I can’t learn a bit about it and advance human knowledge a little.

Over the following months and years I built up quite a database of knowledge inside my head on Parkinson’s and the wider topic of neurosciences. The human brain is a fascinating thing, and I have really enjoyed learning a bit about how it works. And in my own case, how it doesn’t work.

My brain has a faulty dopamine supply system. Dopamine is a chemical which acts like a connector between the different wiring circuits in the brain. When I have a smooth supply of dopamine, the signals coming out of my brain are smooth and reliable. All of my body functions operate smoothly and I can walk and talk and write as well as anyone.

When dopamine supply starts getting erratic, the signals from my brain start to splutter and cough like an old fluorescent tube. My muscle movements get out of sync and I get all out of balance. At worst, next thing I am careening around the room and bouncing off walls like Louie the Fly from the old Mortein ads.

Now this was all very interesting to me and I had a lot of fun learning how my brain worked. But as the condition progressed, I had to start asking some hard questions of myself. This thing IS happening. What am I going to DO?

It is not an easy question to answer.

I don’t want to spend the rest of my life watching television. I want to contribute. I want to be part of something bigger than myself.

I want to work, I want to serve. I enjoy work and the sense of purpose and achievement that comes with it. I need the exercise too. But what workplace really needs workers who can be perfectly calm, purposeful and productive one hour – and then incapacitated the next?

Or do I now at 56 years of age, want to learn an all new vocation from scratch? I have done my time in the corporate business world, I have had had my wins and losses, and I can’t compete with the young kids at their own game any more. Strewth, I don’t even know what the game is that they are playing these days.

It took me a long time to come to terms with the fact that my body can’t do the job that it used to do. But my job isn’t to compete in the corporate world any more. My job is to learn my lessons in life and pass on the knowledge. To prepare the world for the next generation, so they can have their go at running it.

My head was awash with questions. Where does one go to do this? Where do I go to create a new future for myself? To find somewhere that challenges and inspires me creatively, socially, vocationally?

Somewhere where I can both learn and teach, somewhere where I can be inspired to design and make stuff? Somewhere where my abilities are appreciated, and my dignity respected. Somewhere friendly, diverse, ethical, responsible, caring?

I worked myself into a lather trying to solve that problem in my head. I struggled to imagine such a place even existed. I became paralyzed with indecision.

The outside view of a shed — Outside the Cre8 shed in Wangaratta

I heard about VMCH’s Cre8 program through a friend of mine at church. It sounded like it could work, so I made some enquiries. What a revelation.

Right from the start it felt right. The staff were all very friendly and caring, my abilities respected and my disability accepted and worked with. It felt like the kind of place where I can learn and grow with my changing abilities. I signed up straight away.

I have been given real responsibilities and real work right from the outset. We have been making planter boxes out of old shipping pallets, which appeals to my recycling sensibilities. I am working alongside men and women of a broad range of backgrounds and abilities and making new friends. We help each other, we have lot of laughs. It is a place where I can be me, in all my shaky, imperfect glory.

People are putting their faith in me again, and from that my faith in the world is being restored. I feel hope again.

Thank you to Harley and John and all the crew at VMCH, for this wonderful opportunity to start again.

God bless you all.

To learn more about the Cre8 shed or to donate to our latest appeal, please visit vmch.com.au/buildashed

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Acknowledgement of Country

We here at VMCH respectfully acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we gather, and we would like to take a moment to honour the fact that we live on the lands of the oldest civilisation in the world. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander peoples, and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging.