Parkinson moved to rehab unit

13 October 2010 16:00
Blackpool youth team coach Gary Parkinson has been moved to a neuro-rehabilitation unit in Bury, the club have confirmed. Parkinson suffered a major stroke last month and is believed to have locked-in syndrome, where a person is aware and awake but cannot move, speak or swallow due to paralysis of their muscles. The 42-year-old was transferred from the Royal Bolton Hospital to Priory Highbank Centre on Wednesday, which his wife Deborah has described as "a step forward". "The staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital have been fantastic and I've felt that Gary has been in really safe hands," she told the club`s official website. "I'd like to thank them all. Gary needs very specialist care and so the move to Highbank is a step forward."

Source: PA