Matt Eagles
POSITIVITY SPARKS POSITIVITY AND THE MORE YOU SMILE,THE MORE THE WORLD SMILES BACK!
We had the honor of meeting Matt in Portland in 2016 at the World Parkinson Congress. And we were bewitched!
Are you ready to get involved in its wave?!
… and a nice day Matt Eagles was born! Do you tell us something about you as a child?
I was born on 7th November 1968 in Liverpool but my birth mother put me up for adoption and I found my “Forever Family” at the 18 weeks old. When I was little and before I got Parkinson’s I used to be quite naughty, I drank brake fluid, I ate a box of matches and I licked emulsion paint off a paint brush. I was taken to hospital each time.
I loved the outdoors and would frequently get up early and go out foraging for mushrooms in the local fields so we could have them for breakfast at home. When I was 6 I began playing rugby for my local club, I loved rugby and in fact all sport but my dad and uncle began to notice I couldn’t keep up with the other boys. They thought I was just being lazy and used to shout at me. At this time I was also having swimming lessons and my swimming teacher noticed my legs kept sinking in the water. The final straw came when my mother used to cut my toe nails and one day I simply couldn’t balance and kept grabbing the towel rail to steady myself. Thinking I was just being naughty my mum smacked me and made me cry. I couldn’t help it.
At school my headmaster noticed I couldn’t stand still and kept toppling backwards.
When did Parkinson’s diagnosis arrived?
My parents began to realise something was wrong and after multiple tests and spells in hospital I was finally paid 50p to try Sinemet or L-dopa aged 8 in 1977. I have since found out that they knew in 1975, according to my digital medical records!
Unlike almost everyone else with Parkinson’s I cannot remember ever being sat down and told YOU HAVE PARKINSON’S. It would have been meaningless to a 7 year old child and besides I didn’t care what it was I just knew it was really annoying and stopped me doing things I wanted to do .
You know the Parkinson for many years. Yet those who don’t know you and meet you for the first time stays bewitched by your smile. You smile with all yourself, you have an immense energy and positivity. Life according to Matt Eagles: would you like to tell you?
I have always had a great zest for life although I haven’t always been so happy and positive, I have had my sad times but they never lasted very long, I wasn’t allowed to ever feel sorry for myself. Life was for living and if I didn’t live life to the full then nobody would be interested in me or my life and I desperately wanted to belong . I grew up simply not being very good at being sad!
There is no such phrase as: “I can’t!”. If you really want something, you will get it, but you have to face obstacles along the way. If I hadn’t got up after falling… well, I never would have achieved anything.
Do things in small realistic steps to get to your final goal . its an old phrase but if at first you don’t succeed ..take a step back ..take a deep breath and try again.
My family and friends have played an important role in making me see things in a positive way. I have always been encouraged to participate in as many things humanly as possible and even though I might not have been very good.
The fact that I could try to do them filled me with joy! I think the positive attitude comes from experience: Parkinson’s never stops and the more time you have to think about it, the worse you will feel. I would be rather “stupid” to be sad. Sadness makes my symptoms worse, so smiling always helps. It’s amazing the effect it has on those around you too !! A positive attitude and a smile are always helpful for a good day.
You are a great man and it is said that “Behind every great man, there is a great woman”. And you have an extraordinary woman next door. Do you want to share some of you with us?
There have been many influencers in my life my mum , dad and sister were the main ones growing up but after I met Viv and moved away from where I grew up I think my life has gone from strength to strength. Viv is my rock, literally, she and I have experienced so much together all ready in our 11 ½ years together. Her faith in my ability gives me huge strength and her love and encouragement to do things even when I perhaps don’t want to. Marrying her was the best thing I ever did!
How was Parky Life born?
Parkylife was born through coping with my own problems with humour and story telling. If I could communicate with others some of the advantages and wins you could achieve with Parkinson’s without detracting from the serious and debilitating nature of the condition, then surely it would help others. I have never been ashamed or tried to hide my Parkinson’s and I was determined to turn my positive experience into some tangible that I could share with others . From there I began to collect hacks tips and funny stories from other people in the same boat and they were sent off to different agencies to see if anyone would mind illustrating them for free. The response was phenomenal and Parkylife has grown from there.
Parkylife is a lifestyle choice, but principally it’s a wellness and education tool. It was originally designed for those newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s and their families but it has quickly become apparent it is relevant to everyone within the Parkinson’s Community, patients, nurses, carers, consultants, junior doctors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists etc.
Its now a website, a pack of cards, an Instagram and twitter account and tattoos x 2 ( both on my lower right leg )
It puts a smile on everyones’ face and makes them feel better about themselves, even if they don’t happen to have Parkinson’s themselves which really shows that people “get” what we’re trying to do. Which is to turn a potentially awkward situation into a Parky win!
How did you come to mind to get on an airplane? Standing, tied over the plane, outside the cockpit!
I have always been a bit of an adrenalin junkie and a risk taker. When your heart is pumping hard and the adrenalin is flowing there is no better feeling. I had already successfully completed a skydive several years ago and wing walking had always been on my bucket list but how I got involved was more luck than judgement.
I had done a talk about Parkylife at my wife’s Women’s Institute group and afterwards one of the ladies asked me if I knew Anne Twist as her father had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. I didn’t but contacted her on twitter and mentioned the fact that this lady had recommended I contact her. She immediately accepted my friend request and we swapped emails and mobile numbers. Anne mentioned she was doing a wing walk with her friend Sandra to raise money for Parkinson’s UK. I explained it was something I had always wanted to do and could I join them? She said, “Yes of course!”, and it went from there!
My wife allows me to be myself and gave me the space and gave me the unrelenting support, love and emotional strength to grab life and try!!
I must admit, even if he didn’t want me to do wing walk, that was a step forward. We both knew that if something went wrong it could have dire consequences, but I was determined to complete it as I had given my word and actively advertised that I would.
I think the fact that my co-participants, Anne Twist ( Harry Style’s mum ) and Sandra Meighan were equally as apprehensive made me feal a little better plus the fact they both flew before more so I couldn’t possibly not do it!!
I have to say it was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life and when I had landed I had the biggest smile ever!!
A dear Friendly friend, Gaynor, wrote on your own photo: “Fly As An Eagles, Parkky Propulsion”. Absolute truth! For us of Fuerte es La Vida Parkinson No Limits you are a wave of change! You are listening to yourself, your desires. Search the horizon to intercept your wave and when you recognize it, Carpe Diem! You ride it, you live it! And in living your wave involves and you gives positive energy and life to water around you, to the people around you.
Do you realize it?
That is so kind of you to say, thank you so much ! I don’t set out to try and impress people or be a role model. I have just learnt through lived experience that positivity sparks positivity and the more you an smile, the more the world smiles back.
Matt Eagles was recognized as a “Positive Role Model Award” at the 2020 National Diversity Awards.
