Community & Business
7 May, 2025
Man defies age and disease
AT 83, Brian White isn’t just living with Parkinson’s Disease – he’s challenging it head on – by leading his team in the Great Wheelbarrow Race.
In 2009, a devastating cycling accident left Brian with 17 fractures and a rare skull-base injury that completely separated his midface from his skull.
Despite multiple surgeries and a later Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2015, Brian refused to let his conditions define him.
Now, he’s taking on this month’s Great Wheelbarrow Race in the “Downunder Movers and Shakers” team to raise funds for the Neurology Department at Cairns Hospital.
The target is to raise $38,000 to buy an EEG (Electroencephalogram) machine. An EEG can record electrical activity of the brain by placing electrodes on the scalp that detect brain wave patterns.
“The Hospital Foundation is giving me a purpose,” Brian said on the team’s social media page. “I’m thrilled to be able to make a difference and help others.”
The iconic Great Wheelbarrow race is a popular vehicle for supporting a cause. Brian and the team want to raise awareness for Parkinson’s Disease, improve neurological care in FNQ, and prove that age and health challenges do not limit an ability to make a difference.
Donations can be made at:
