John’s diagnosis was initially dismissed as drinking ‘too much caffeine’
John Granahan was told he’d be wheelchair bound by 25 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s(Image: © SWNS)
A man who was told his shakes as a teenager were due to drinking “too much tea” was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 20. He is still without a wheelchair 40 years on from his initial symptoms.
John Granahan, now 54, knew something was wrong from age 13, after he began shaking uncontrollably in his English class. He drank up to 10 cups of tea a day, so doctors initially dismissed his symptoms as being due to his caffeine intake.
The IT technician, from Leeds, was finally diagnosed with Parkinson’s aged 20 after going to a private doctor and was told he’d be in a wheelchair by age 25. After his symptoms presented themselves nearly 40 years ago, he still doesn’t need a wheelchair and hasn’t let his diagnosis stop him.
John, who first told his story to Talk to the Press said: “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. In my mind, even now, [Parkinson’s] makes me think about an old person in an old people’s home, shaking in the corner.”
John first noticed signs of what would be Parkinson’s when he was 13 years old, but didn’t think much of his symptoms until he noticed that he was slouching a lot and walking on his tiptoes. His shakes then got worse, and at age 18, he went to the doctors, where he was told he “drank too much tea”, and the caffeine was what was making him shake.
He was put on beta blockers, but as his symptoms didn’t improve. His dad decided to use the private health insurance he got through work to get John tested, and he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 20.
“People can’t believe that I’m 54 and I’ve had [Parkinson’s] for 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. John was relieved. I wish I didn’t have Parkinson’s, but it’s made me who I am. Finally, having a diagnosis gave him answers, but doctors told him that due to his condition, he would be in a wheelchair by the time he was 25.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition in which parts of the brain gradually become damaged. Most people start to develop symptoms when they are over 50.
There’s no cure for Parkinson’s, but after his diagnosis, John was put on a variety of medications, including amantadine to control his symptoms and antidepressants (as Parkinson’s can strongly affect mood). John’s symptoms initially improved thanks to the medication but have been up and down throughout his life.
He said: “Parkinson’s is so unpredictable, you can be fine one minute and bad the next.” However, despite what doctors said, he has never been in a wheelchair and only has a walker, which he uses occasionally.
John has had to adapt to living with Parkinson’s – he uses hand controls to drive, as he can’t control his legs. “I just find ways around things, never give up, that’s my motto.”
John said that his daughter Olivia, 16, worries about him when he has to go into the hospital for treatment, but that the pair are a “great team” who work through things together. In 2024, John had deep-brain surgery, which is where a pulse generator is placed under the skin and electrodes deliver high-frequency stimulation to the targeted area, which can improve the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s.
The treatment has helped with John’s tremors, but now affects his balance, causing him to have a lot of falls. John has recently started attending a boxercise class for people with Parkinson’s, and he said that opening up about how he has lived with the condition for so long has been an inspiration to others with the condition.