Thought I Was Clumsy at 37 -- It Was an Early Sign of Parkinson's: Symptoms Under-50s Shouldn't Ignore

At 37, Lincolnshire camping entrepreneur Emma Karembo Cornthwaite noticed her grip suddenly failed while leading teenagers on a trip, with jerrycans dropping from her hand. Over the following months she began dropping items more often, sensing a tremor-like “electric current” during massage therapy, and eventually raised concerns with her GP. After about two years of tests, she received a diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease delivered via a letter from her neurologist on her birthday. In the UK, more than 166,000 people live with Parkinson’s; around 11,000 develop it between ages 25 and 49. Research suggests younger-onset rates have doubled since 1990, though causes remain unclear.