Olympian Jon Goodwin, 80, is preparing to become a space tourist despite his Parkinson's diagnosis.
A Virgin Galactic ticket holder is preparing to become one of the first paying space tourists, despite getting a Parkinson's diagnosis.
Jon Goodwin, 80, from Staffordshire, paid $250,000 for his ticket in 2005 but had feared his diagnosis would mean he could not take part. The firm had been fantastic, he said, and the space craft is due to launch on or about 10 August with him aboard.Mr Goodwin, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, was a canoeist for Great Britain at the 1972 Munich Games.
Parkinson's disease is a condition in which parts of the brain become progressively damaged over the years. He said: "Three years ago I climbed Kilimanjaro and cycled down, just to prove that [Parkinson's] wasn't going to get me and [the space flight] is the same thing.""I think the opportunity to do something that's not been done before by many people at that price is a real bargain," he said.
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