Bid to find Oxford University student who helped man with Parkinson's disease
- Published
David Murray's "good news story" has been shared 27,000 times on Twitter
A man's Twitter plea to find an Oxford University medical student who helped him in his time of need has been retweeted 27,000 times.
David Murray, 75, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 12 years ago, was "completely frozen" on a train at Cardiff when his medication failed.
A female medical student in her 20s helped him off the train.
Mr Murray, a father of six, said he wanted to thank the woman, and Oxford University is helping in his search.
Mr Murray, a retired Age Concern executive who lives in Ystrad Mynach near Caerphilly, was travelling back to Cardiff from London on 28 March after attending a trustees' meeting at the Cure Parkinson's Trust, external.
On the train he took his medication, but said: "Parkinson's medication is notoriously inconsistent. I was just frozen, I couldn't move.
Cells stop working
"I was panicking. It's very difficult in a public setting because you have all the appearances of being drunk."
Parkinson's is a neurological condition which develops when cells in the brain stop working properly.
This means the brain does not produce enough of the chemical dopamine, which controls movement.
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As Mr Murray shuffled to get off the train the medical student offered to help him.
His wife Yvonne said: "I do worry about him. That day he phoned me from the train and said, 'I can't even move at the moment'.
"When I got there he'd got off the train and this lovely student had helped him, and the Cardiff Central Station staff had helped him as well.
"It just restores your faith in humanity."
Mr Murray's wife Yvonne was relieved that there was someone to help her husband
Mr Murray's story and his search for the student has gone viral after being liked 45,000 times.
He said: "I just wanted to try and find her, and what a good news story it is.
"Amidst all the doom and gloom with Brexit, I thought I'd pop out this good news story, and it's been retweeted over 20,000 times."
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