SLCL and the American Parkinson Disease Association Present Author Guy Deacon

St. Louis County Library Foundation’s Gale Medical Arts Series and the American Parkinson Disease Association - Missouri Chapter are pleased to host author Guy Deacon for a discussion and signing of his memoir, “Running on Empty: 18,000 Miles Down Africa with Parkinson’s Disease.”

The event will take place on Saturday, August 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the Clark Family Branch, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd, St. Louis MO 63131.

At the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson's disease for over 10 years, Guy Deacon set out on one last adventure: to drive solo from his home in the UK 18,000 miles and through 25 countries to Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa.

This incredible journey, across Europe and down the full length of Africa, took the former British Army officer over twelve months. Along the way, he broke down five times, underwent one emergency evacuation, and took 3,650 prescription pills.

There are only a handful of vehicles each year which attempt this difficult journey; many never complete it. Guy drove, lived and slept in his VW Transporter, often in remote spots, hundreds of miles from the nearest village or town. Reliant on patchy GPS, he often got lost. His journey was, quite simply, an incredible feat by a man traveling alone with Stage 3 Parkinson's disease, when simply putting on a pair of shoes can take half an hour.

But not only did Guy's journey fulfill a childhood dream to drive the length of Africa, his mission was also to raise global awareness of Parkinson's disease, for which there is currently still no cure.

Guy Deacon joined the British Army in 1985. He spent 18 months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the UN disarming and demobilizing rebel forces, for which he was awarded an OBE; he was later awarded a CBE for strategic work as Colonel of the Royal Armored Corps. Guy was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2010, but carried on working until the age of 57; he now has Stage 3 Parkinson's. As an ambassador for the Cure Parkinson's Trust and Parkinson's Africa, Guy has visited 25 African countries to spotlight the issues associated with Parkinson's disease in Africa. 

The Arthur Gale Medical Arts Lecture Series at the St. Louis County Library was founded in 2015 by Dr. Arthur Gale with the purpose of increasing the public's knowledge and understanding of medicine and health care.

Program sites are accessible. With at least two weeks' notice, accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities. Call 314-994-3300 or contact us.