AN INSPIRING Dunfermline teacher who suffers with Parkinson’s has refused to let the disease stop her in her tracks by completing a 100-mile charity cycle.

Janet Kerr took to two wheels on Friday to pedal from her home in Lochgelly to Kingussie to raise funds for the Pars Foundation’s project to help school pupils and raise literacy in the Karonga area of Malawi.

A Primary 7 teacher at St Leonard’s Primary, gran-of-three Janet, 47, first started noticing symptoms of the condition as far back as 2011 and went to her doctor, but was only diagnosed last June after being referred to a neurologist.

She recalled: “For my 40th birthday, we walked the West Highland Way and my stride was shorter, and I was wondering, ‘How can I not keep up’? That was a tell-tale sign but I was only diagnosed in June last year. I had self-diagnosed before that; I was watching a programme about how ballet can benefit people with Parkinson’s and the camera focused on one of the people’s hands. I thought that it looked the same as mine so I went on to the Parkinson’s website and started reading symptoms that I had.

“The worst thing is not knowing how quickly things can degenerate but I feel like I am managing my symptoms well. I have a tremor and nerve pain and some days it’s like I’m not taking medication and the pain can be quite bad. A lot of people wouldn’t know (about her condition) because I manage it well but my walk has changed and sometimes my balance is not great, and I have to concentrate on my speech.

“I’ve only been on medication for eight or nine months. Once it got me moving, I was able to exercise again but, because I was so stiff, it was like starting again. I stuck with it and started to do a bit of yoga and, eventually, went to a pilates class. I’ve always had a love of cycling so I picked that up again, and it’s a bit of pain relief and respite from it all.

“I’m trying to grab life with both hands while I can.”

That gave her the push to take on a cycling challenge that she’d always wanted to do and, alongside husband Gary, raised cash for the Pars Foundation’s campaign to develop libraries in Karonga’s schools using books picked by children from St Leonard’s and St Margaret’s primaries from Better World Books.

She will also travel to Malawi with four other teachers as part of the project and hopes that others who have her condition can take heart from her story.

Janet added: “The most I’ve done is 50 miles but I always wanted to be able to say I’ve cycled 100 miles – it was on my bucket list! Physically, it was hard going and it’s an experience I can’t believe I did.

“It has been a rollercoaster ride but there are so many things I am grateful for, and having Parkinson’s has induced so many positives. I only recently shared the news because Parkinson’s Awareness Week was in April; close family and some work colleagues knew but how can you raise awareness if you don’t talk about it? It doesn’t just affect older people and, if I can help one person to talk about it or inspire them, then that would be an achievement.”

Donations to the project can be made at Virgin Money Giving.