Nine years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Two years ago, I started playing golf.

Now I’m taking on one of my biggest personal challenges yet: 72 holes of golf — four full rounds — in just 24 hours to raise money for Sport Parkinson’s.

I am Garen Williams, the Co-Founder and Director of Sport Parkinson’s, a not-for-profit organisation created to help people with Parkinson’s stay active, connected and involved through sport and exercise.

This challenge is deeply personal to me.

For most people, playing 72 holes in a day would be a serious physical and mental test. For me, it is also a Parkinson’s test.

Living with Parkinson’s means every day can be unpredictable. My movement, stiffness, energy, balance and medication all have to be managed carefully. Sometimes my medication works well and I can move freely. Other times it wears off, takes too long to kick in, or leaves me fighting to get my body doing what my mind wants it to do.

That is one of the hardest parts of Parkinson’s. You can plan your day, but your body does not always follow the plan.

Trying to complete four rounds of golf in 24 hours is not just about golf. It is about staying focused, managing symptoms, timing medication, dealing with fatigue, pushing through difficult moments and refusing to let Parkinson’s define what is possible.

But that is exactly why I want to do it.

Sport has given me something Parkinson’s tried to take away: confidence in my own body. Golf has given me focus, purpose, friendship and a reason to keep pushing forward. I may have only been playing for two years, but it has already become a huge part of how I keep myself moving, motivated and positive.

Through Sport Parkinson’s, I have seen first-hand how powerful sport can be for people living with Parkinson’s.

Because for people with Parkinson’s, sport is not just about fitness.

-It is about identity

-It is about confidence

-It is about friendship

-It is about purpose

-It is about proving to yourself that you are still capable of more than you thought

.........And sometimes, it is about getting a little piece of yourself back.

This challenge will test me. There will be moments when I struggle. There will be moments when my medication timing is difficult. There will be moments when my body tells me to stop.

But I want to show that Parkinson’s does not get the final say.

Every donation will help Sport Parkinson’s create more opportunities for people living with Parkinson’s to get active, try new sports, meet others, rebuild confidence and feel part of something again.

Please donate whatever you can. And please share this page.

Help me turn 72 holes in 24 hours into something much bigger than golf.

Keep healthy and strong until a cure comes along.