ALEC Stevenson wants people to know why he fumbles and drops his wallet at the supermarket checkout, holding up the queue behind him.
He wants people to know why he takes forever to pick up the ringing phone; why he labours through simple tasks like tying his shoelaces; why his body will sometimes twist and contort of its own accord, leading bystanders to think he is drunk or - on one memorable occasion - shaping up for a fight.
The 80-year-old Lilydale man wishes people understood the effect Parkinson's disease has had on him and others; how its "insidious" onset over 13 years has stiffened his muscles, reduced his co-ordination and made day-to-day tasks infinitely more difficult.
"I would like people to know why I stutter or am clumsy," he said. "I'd like them to know why I behave in a stupid sort of a fashion."
Mr Stevenson said he was treated compassionately - "No one has taken advantage of my situation to date; there is a lot of generosity and goodwill about" - but believed public awareness about Parkinson's could increase.
"I think it tends to be overlooked in comparison with multiple sclerosis and a few other things. I don't want to be a complainer but I think it might be due to the fact that it comes on so gradually and in an insidious sort of fashion."
Mr Stevenson's wife, Nan, is a former nurse who pays close attention to his nutritional needs and encourages him to exercise. She uses an exercise bike and he a treadmill, "but I'm not too keen on the exercise".
He is grateful for a support group that meets in Healesville, and for the care of his GP, friends and family.
"I'm sure I get a lot more sympathy and TLC from friends and family than I would if I didn't have a complaint."
All the same, the frustrations caused by the disease are relentless.
Parkinson's Victoria says up to 70 per cent of sufferers commonly experience depression.
While Mr Stevenson is getting used to "being odd", many situations remain trying. "In ordinary activities, I get by reasonably well. But there are certain times when the 'extra movement', as we call it, takes over and I wriggle and wobble."
That awkwardness won't be so apparent this Sunday, when Mr Stevenson joins other sufferers and their friends and families for the Parkinson's 2010 Unity Walk along the banks of the Yarra River.
"Being in a crowd of fellow sufferers, it doesn't feel so odd. The support we give to one another is important."
The four-kilometre walk aims to raise funds for research into Parkinson's disease, but is also symbolic and supports the goal of staying fit and healthy.
"The idea is to make a bit of an impact," Mr Stevenson said, "to alert people to the fact that others around you are having difficulties."
Details: www.unitywalk.com .au
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