"My life was no longer going to be how I’d always just assumed it would be," Emma Lawton said of her diagnosis

NEED TO KNOW

• Emma Lawton was “devasted” to find out she has Parkinson’s disease at age 29, more than three decades earlier than the average diagnosis
• “My life was no longer going to be how I’d always just assumed it would be,” she said
• In a personal essay, Lawton shared how the disease has progressed in the years since her diagnosis

Emma Lawton thought she was experiencing a common ailment caused by her computer use — but then she received a life-changing diagnosis uncommon for someone her age.

In a personal essay for Metro U.K., Lawton explained how, at the age of 29 in 2013, she found herself having difficulty controlling her computer mouse while working as a graphic designer. She assumed she had carpal tunnel syndrome and "wasn't hugely worried."

Her parents, however, were a bit more concerned and urged her to make a doctor's appointment. When Lawton's GP noticed that her arm didn't swing when she walked, he referred her to a neurological consultant at the hospital.

Lawton, now 42, underwent testing, and scans of her brain revealed that she was in "the very early stages" of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's is a movement disorder of the central nervous system that causes tremors, speech changes, slowed movement, poor posture and balance, muscle stiffness, loss of automatic movements and other symptoms, per the Mayo Clinic.

The average age of onset is around 60. Parkinson's disease can occur in younger adults, but it is rare.

Recalling her diagnosis, Lawton wrote, "I was strangely calm about it at first because I’d ironically been working as a designer on the Parkinson’s UK website, so I’d already absorbed a lot of knowledge about it. Then, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks that it was me who had it."

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"I wasn’t even 30," she continued, "and yet my life was no longer going to be how I’d always just assumed it would be. Getting married. Having children. Enjoying a successful career. I never thought this uncertainty would be my future, and I was devastated."

Lawton explained that her knowledge of the disease at the time was "almost non-existent."

"It was something I thought people’s grandparents got, and that it just made them shake. But in fact, there are over 40 possible symptoms of Parkinson’s, and anyone can get it — young or old," she wrote.

In the more than 12 years since her diagnosis, Lawton's disease has considerably progressed.

"It’s definitely become harder to live with. Unfortunately, my neck muscles failed — leaving me unable to lift my head," she wrote.

Lawton said that after her neck "dropped," she had to become "a lot more confident in all the strange things" her body does. "It didn’t just happen, though, I’ve had to work at having that mindset," she noted.

Knowing that she's "going to stand out anyway," she began to embrace it, wearing more color in her wardrobe and dyeing her hair bright pink.

She also started a blog to challenge herself to try something new every day and see if there's "maybe something" her body could do that she didn't know about. "I gave everything from axe-throwing to flower arranging and having my body painted a go. It gave me such a buzz seeing what I could achieve," she wrote.

In the process, Lawton discovered that her life "was most certainly not over," despite her Parkinson's diagnosis. In fact, she found that having the disease has opened up her life in unexpected ways.

"I was initially worried that life would become very limited, but in fact, by having to put in more effort to have the life I wanted and try new things, I ended up doing more than I ever expected," she explained.

In January, Lawton underwent a "groundbreaking" surgery to lift her head and strengthen her spine. "It was a long operation where 30 titanium screws were used to support my spine to pull my head up, and then wedges were inserted in the front of my neck to support the weight of my head," she wrote.

After the surgery, Lawton had to relearn to walk, but she said she can "stand tall once more" and "look people in the eye" now that her head is "upright."

She is optimistic about her future and determined to show that her diagnosis won't define her.

"I think there’s a misconception that Parkinson’s only happens to older men and that it destroys your life. I’m proof that this stereotype couldn’t be more wrong," she wrote. "It’s a hard condition to live with — I’m not denying it by any means — but it’s your choice how much you push through and have a life besides the condition."

"I genuinely still feel excited about what every day will bring — Parkinson’s and all," she added.

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