Pouring a cup of tea used to be an impossible feat for Shirley Gibbs, who suffers from Parkinson's Disease, and suffers from it badly.
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"I was shocking," Shirley said.
She would sway uncontrollably from side to side, robbing her of the simple joys in life such as going for a walk in the park or playing squash.
The constant swaying drained her energy, and she began wasting away until she was only 41 kilograms in bodyweight.
It was hard to watch for her husband Barry Gibbs, who was always there for her when the shakes got particularly bad.
"You didn't know what each morning was going to bring," Barry said.
"Some days she was that bad she couldn't walk out of the house."
Things only got worse; the medication kept ramping up until Shirley was on the strongest possible dosage.
But there was a thread of hope when doctors told her she'd be able to get Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy, which involves running wires through the brain and into a pacemaker-like device.
It sounded like a "terrifying" procedure to Shirley, but she agreed to go through with it.
It was a seven hour operation, and Shirley had to remain awake for nearly half of it while doctors inserted probes into her brain.
The hours dragged on for Barry, who sat anxiously outside the operating theatre.
"You just sit and wait. There's nothing you can do, and hope everything goes fine," he said.
When Shirley came out of that operating room everyone breathed a sigh of relief - the surgery had been a success.
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Within 24 hours Shirley's swaying had stopped almost entirely.
As the days went by Shirley regained more and more of her functions, and doctors believe she may be able to go back to playing squash in the near future.
She hasn't been cured of Parkinson's - no such thing exists as of yet - but she's been given a brand new lease on life.
Shirley and Barry took the good news back to their friends at the Griffith Parkinson's Support Group.
The support group will be commemorating World Parkinson's Day on August 25, and they'll also be holding a raffle to raise money for Parkinson's research.
Support group coordinator Louisa Feltracco said she wants to make sure that other Parkinson's sufferers like Shirley can get the help they need.
"The government doesn't fund very much money into Parkinson's," Mrs Feltracco said. "We want to help find a cure."
Those interested in joining the Griffith Parkinson's Support Group can call Mrs Feltracco on 0439 506 551.
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