'Doctors blamed my tremors on too much tea at 18 - 40 years later, I’m still not in a wheelchair'
Leeds dad told shakes were down to ‘drinking too much tea’ diagnosed with Parkinson’s aged 20
John Granahan knew that something was wrong when he started shaking uncontrollably in his English class at the age of just 13.
But because he drank up to ten cups of tea a day doctors had initially dismissed his symptoms because of his caffeine intake.
But the IT technician from Leeds was diagnosed with Parkinson’s aged just 20 after a visit to a private doctor.
They dealt him the crushing blow that by the age of 25 he would be in a wheelchair.
But 40 years on he still doesn’t need a wheelchair and shows no signs of being beaten by the condition.
John, who first told his story to Talk to the Press said: “I first noticed my symptoms when I was 13. I’ll never forget it, I was in an English class, and my leg just wouldn’t stop shaking.
“I knew it wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what it was. Doctors told me I drank too much tea.
“The day I finally got diagnosed was the happiest day of my life, as weird as it sounds.
“When I didn’t know what was wrong, everything was going through my mind.
“There was a lad in hospital with me who was 12 and had a stroke and died, so Parkinson's didn’t seem that bad in the grand scheme of things.
“I didn’t have a clue about Parkinson's. In my mind, even now, it makes me think about an old person in an old people’s home, shaking in the corner.
“Doctors told me I would be in a wheelchair by 25.
“I think the hardest part about living with Parkinson's, is what people think of you.
“I’ve been turned away from pubs before because of the way I walk.
“People just assume I’m drunk.
“People can’t believe that I’m 54 and I’ve had it 40 years. I’m still working, still driving, I’ve got a mortgage, a daughter, I’ve got all the same things as everybody else.
“I wish I didn’t have Parkinson's, but it’s made me who I am, and I think it’s made me a better person.”
Symptoms of Parkinson's include involuntary shaking, stiffness and slow movement.
There’s no cure for Parkinson's, but after his diagnosis Mr Granahan was put on a variety of medication including amantadine to control his symptoms, and antidepressants (as Parkinson's can strongly affect mood).
“Parkinson's is so unpredictable, you can be fine one minute and bad the next," he said.
However, despite what doctors said, he has never been in a wheelchair, and only has a walker, that he uses occasionally.
“If I’m carrying a cup of tea I have to put a lid on it so it doesn’t spill”, he added.
“I just find ways around things, never give up, that’s my motto.”
Since 2016, John has been solo parenting his daughter Olivia, 16, after her mum sadly passed away.
In 2024, John had deep brain stimulation surgery, which is where a pulse generator is placed under the skin and connected by wires to the brain.
John has recently started attending a boxercise class for people with Parkinson's and said that opening up about how he has lived with the condition for so long, is an inspiration to others with the condition.