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AUDIO: Whitwell man remembered with collection of poetry
"LIKE being in prison without any bars, like being tortured without any scars," - These are the words a Whitwell man used to describe Parkinson's disease.
Gordon Martin died of the condition in April last year and his sister has put together a collection of his poetry as a tribute to his life.
The 57-year-old was first diagnosed with the neurological disease in August 1987 and he turned to writing to express some of his frustration.
"He never really talked about his illness but he would disappear and write about how he felt," said his wife Maureen.
"He wouldn't really like going to meetings about Parkinson's with other sufferers as he said it was too much like looking in a mirror."
"But I know he would be so proud if he knew he had these poems published."
His sister Gail Martin, of Forest Hill Park, Worksop, has brought Gordon's poems together and published them in a book under the title
You Write Poetry? Be Serious!
"When Gordon died he left a hole in our lives but he also left his writing as well. I wanted to get his poems published and I did it for the family."
"He was an extremely intelligent man and was always the sort of person who knew something about everything."
Poems in the collection journal his loves, hates and fears about his condition and also about sport, travel and other life experiences.
Born in Whitwell, Gordon went to primary school in the village and then to Staveley Grammar School.
When he was just 14, his older brother Roy died of an asthma attack aged 16 and the book is dedicated to the memory of both of them.
He studied on day release and home study and gained qualifications to make accountancy his career.
By the time he was 37 he had a wealth of experience in accountancy and commerce and was working as a financial director at Beezer Homes Yorkshire.
Maureen, who lives in Doncaster where Gordon spent much of his adult life, said: "At first he went to the doctor because his arm kept going numb."
"Two years later, he had to give up work as his job was just so demanding but he never really complained about his illness."
She described how the disease completely turned his life upside down, forcing him to stop driving and take strong medication.
"Sometimes he would be just fine and then suddenly he would be stuck in the same position, unable to move."
"It would be very difficult as his brain would tell him to move but his body just would not react."
Gordon also began scripting a story about his experience of Parkinson's diease but was not able to finish it before he died.
His mother Lily Martin, who lives in Bakestone Moor, added: "He was the sort of person who lived life to the full. He would never sit and mope."
Gordon also left behind two children David, 35, and Andrew, 33.
Copies of You Write Poetry? Be Serious! are available from Worksop's WH
Smith's store and any profits will go to Parkinson's Society and Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice.
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Sunday 05 February 2012
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