In 2019, author Jennifer Andrewes was sitting in a neurologist’s office, holding a brochure about early-onset Parkinson’s disease, as a specialist explained that she might only have five able-bodied years left.
Her first reaction to the news was, “Bugger that! I want more than five years – there’s lots I want to do,” remembers mother of three Jennifer, who was just 48 at the time.
That was six years ago and since then, Jennifer has walked thousands of kilometres across Europe, discovering along the way that, for her, it’s an effective method of managing Parkinson’s.
“My mantra became, ‘The longer I walk, the longer I’ll walk,’” says Jennifer, now 54, who quickly noticed a reduction in her symptoms after taking up the pursuit in earnest.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition causing, among other symptoms, muscle weakness, tremors and cognitive decline.
When the signs became impossible to ignore
“At first, I had this little shake in my left hand, but I had a new job and it was quite high pressure,” recalls Jennifer, who was working as a communications manager.
“I thought it was ridiculous, but it must be anxiety or nerves.”
Deep down, however, she suspected more.
“It got to the point I had to pull out of some of the things I had long done, like singing in a choir, because I couldn’t hold a sheet of music.”
A confronting diagnosis
When the diagnosis came, “it was confronting, but wasn’t surprising”
The advice was to do as much as she could while she was still physically able. But at the same time, the world was shutting down due to the pandemic. During Covid lockdown, Jennifer walked laps of her neighbourhood. Then as restrictions allowed, she formed a walking group called the Rambling Rosés, who would tackle up to 15km walks together at the weekends.
The moment everything changed
“I felt good while walking and good for a sustained period after,” shares Jennifer.
“I just didn’t experience my symptoms in the same way I did in normal daily life. Parkinson’s was still there, but I could forget it was there for a while.”
In online support groups, she saw others sharing similar experiences.
One step at a time
“I started seeing stories of people who had walked off their condition – not curing it, but prolonging life living with symptoms. I thought, ‘I can do that – I can put one foot in front of the other.’”
That realisation changed everything. In 2022, Jennifer set herself the bold goal to walk 800km across France.
She admits, “I really did not genuinely know if I could walk 800km.”
A journey beyond expectation
It was challenging, but it turns out she absolutely could do it. Ever since, she has returned to Europe each year to complete another epic pilgrimage. In 2024, she undertook her biggest challenge yet, the
Via Francigena, some 2400km over 110 days, solo on foot from Canterbury, in England, across France, Switzerland and Italy to Rome.
“It’s very easy to talk the walk,” laughs Jennifer, who details the pilgrimage in her new book The Only Way is Up.
“But I got to the end of day one and looked at how far I’d come, which was like a millimetre on the map, and I just felt like an ant on the face of the Earth. The scale of it suddenly hit me. I was setting out by myself expecting to walk to Rome!”
Pushed to her limits
There were moments – like climbing into bed hungry and exhausted, or being lost and “completely losing it, swearing in the middle of the woods” – where Jennifer wasn’t sure she’d make it.
She reflects, “The biggest challenge was the solitude – getting used to being comfortable in my own company and the realisation that if something happens, I’m out there by myself and no one is coming to save me. But I’ve learned that I have everything within me to solve any problem that arises.”
Highs, hope and what comes next
There were also extraordinary highs, like making a profound new friendship with a fellow walker, standing atop the Swiss Alps at 2500 metres high and the final steps through Rome.
Jennifer shares, “My husband had come to meet me and walking into St Peter’s Square, I realised, ‘My God, he’s flown here and I’ve walked here from England!’”
Jennifer is realistic about her Parkinson’s, knowing it’s a progressive condition and one day she won’t be able to walk. But for as long as possible, she plans to keep ticking pilgrimages off her bucket list. In fact, when she spoke to the Weekly, she was weeks away from setting off on a 1500km walk from Vézelay in France to Assisi in Italy.
“As long as I can walk, I will walk,” she smiles.
The Only Way is Up: On Foot to Rome by Jennifer Andrewes
