Dad told he had a 'trapped nerve' diagnosed with incurable brain condition

“His arm just started shaking and spasming,” Emily Swindells said, recalling the day her father’s life changed forever. “I took him to A&E and the doctor said it was a trapped nerve, but I knew that wasn’t right.”

Steven Swindells always enjoyed an active lifestyle. Whether it was going on holiday, jet skiing or juggling his plumbing firm, the dad-of-two constantly managed to keep himself busy.

But his world turned upside down when he suddenly became unwell five years ago. The now 51-year-old was out driving with his daughter Emily when his hands and toes began uncontrollably switching.

READ MORE: "I idolise you, my boy": Heartbroken girlfriend of Moss Side murder victim, 20, pays tribute

His bizarre symptoms went undiagnosed for weeks until his family finally received the news they were dreading: Steven had Parkinson’s disease. At the time, he was just 46-years-old.

“I didn’t think he had Parkinson’s because he has a physical job so we thought it was a trapped nerve,” Emily, from Didsbury, told the Manchester Evening News . “A few weeks later, we knew it definitely wasn’t a trapped nerve because it was getting worse. He was 46 when he got diagnosed, which is really young for Parkinson’s. The doctor knew straight away that he had it.

“We were all heartbroken because we didn’t know what it meant. I don’t think there’s a lot of awareness about Parkinson’s because I thought you just shook a bit, but it’s so much more than that. It’s heartbreaking how serious it can be.

“He’s had to have counselling; it’s affected our family. We’re the only family he has. There’s not that much research about Parkinson’s like cancer, but he’s losing his memory, he stutters and he chokes on food. We went out for tea and took our friends