Message of hope for those with Parkinson’s

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

Marcus Day

Maple Creek News

How would you feel if you were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at 21? Angry, perhaps, bitter, resentful?

Such a life-changing moment faced Li Jiang, from Hamilton, Ontario.

The symptoms had begun to surface years earlier. As a sporty teenager, she was frequently falling because she couldn’t control the muscles in her right leg. Then she began experiencing weakness in her right hand, her dominant hand. It caused huge stress as a student, forcing her to switch hands for homework and assignments.

The shock of early-onset Parkinson’s turned into denial as she tried to suppress her symptoms in public. For many years she lived in mental isolation, trying to hide the diagnosis, fearful of being “othered”. It is a story that Phil Rayner and Steve Iseman find all too relatable; they know about the dread of being belittled, pitied, stared at and judged.

Rayner, from Lethbridge, was diagnosed ten years ago at 56, the news delivered with matter-of-fact bluntness by his doctor.

“It was like ‘you have Parkinson’s, here are some pills, have a nice life’.”

One of his main concerns was losing his job. Then there was the worry about the impact on loved ones; a diagnosis invariably causes a ripple effect, leading to shifts in family roles, increased daily caregiving duties, and deep emotional and communication challenges for everyone involved.

Iseman, from Toronto, was 48 when diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2014.

The symptoms were already there. A keen skier, he had found it hard to turn left, initially blaming the issue on his equipment, the snow, or the weather. Then he was injured.  
His other sporting love – cycling – also became difficult because his legs fell out of sequence when he pedalled; one leg rotated in a circle as normal, while the other followed an irregular shape because of spasms and muscle seizures.

After the Parkinson’s diagnosis, he stopped these two loves … although he was not ready to give up on them.

For the three members of the Parkinson Canada Spinning Wheels Tour, a national fundraiser and awareness campaign in which riders who live with the disorder join supporters on a cross-Canada cycling tour, the trajectory of their post-diagnosis lives was similar: devastation, denial, reflection, acceptance and development of resolve to reset their lives.

Although reaching that fifth stage has required medication to manage movement and non-motor symptoms, there are other key factors: the companionship of others with Parkinson’s and staying active. Jiang, Rayner and Iseman testify to the benefits of cycling. Their words support studies that have shown cycling can slow the impact of Parkinson’s and help restore neural connections previously damaged by the disorder.

Jiang and Iseman have rediscovered joy.

“Some of the best times of my life have been since the diagnosis,” said Iseman, who co-founded a Parkinson’s cycling group called the Rigid Riders in 2019. He has also taken up skiing again, with a new appreciation of everything he can accomplish, including those turns.

For Rayner, his condition has been relegated to an “inconvenience”.

Today he cycles five days a week and is taking part in the August 8-September 27 Spinning Wheels Tour for the second year in a row.

“I may not be able to cycle 200 kilometres in a day any more, but I can do 100 kilometres,” he said.

The proof of his cycling endurance is in the tour.

Rayner and his team – The Tortoise and the No Hairs – started their trek on Saturday, August 15 in Lethbridge and stopped at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre in Regina, where they were greeted by well-wishers, including Parkinson Canada representatives. They travelled 167 kilometres, travelling in rotation. While three cycle, one drives a support vehicle.

On Sunday, August 16, they arrived in Maple Creek after an 80-kilometre ride.

“I’ve been cycling all my life and have found it helps keep my symptoms stable,” said Rayner. “Riding with others with Parkinson’s reinforced the positive benefits of cycling, both physically and mentally.”

In the last seven years, Rayner’s doses have stayed the same, reflecting his static symptoms. It is a fact that has surprised his neurologist. It is also one that should give hope to all those living with Parkinson’s.

Jiang, Rayner and Iseman may have the inconvenience of Parkinson’s, but they refuse to be defined by it.