Matt Eagles Bio — PD Avengers

Matt Eagles

Co-Leader Advocacy Committee

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Matt’s Journey

Matt Eagles has been living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) since July 11, 1975 diagnosed with early onset PD at the age of eight.

Matt has never succumbed and he has been utilising his enormous experience of this brain disease to raise awareness around the world.

He has achieved that through acting as a tireless patient advocate and a frequent public speaker contributing to charity events, clinical and scientific meetings and conferences.

Matt’s contribution to public engagement has been reflected in his appointment as Head of Patient Engagement at Havas Lynx Group, the leading global healthcare communications group.

Parkinson’s Community Roles

Founder, Parky Life

Co-Leader, founding member of PD Avengers

Public Speaking:

International Brain Conference at Christiansburg Palace – The Danish Parliament - Cure4Parkinson
Featured on Parkinson’s Art website
St Georges School Windsor Castle Assembly and workshop 2020
Insight into Parkinson’s Global Online Conferences 2019 and 2020
Presentation at the American Movement Disorder Society Speech Therapy Conference – London 2018
DBS and Dystharia Conference, Brussels, Belgium – 2019
Exhibitions of neuroscience artwork in Manchester and London - 2019
One day workshop on PD at a secondary school for year 9’s at Cheadle Hulme School – 2019
NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo 2019 Manchester Central
Poster presentation at the World Parkinson’s Conference, Kyoto, Japan
Cog X 2019 – Orlando Bloom, Princess Khaliya – London
Founders Forum 2019 with Ruby Wax - Kings Cross, London
Webit, The World’s Largest Innovation Festival – Sofia, Bulgaria – 2019
Twin Global, The World Innovation Network – Chicago, USA- 2019

Matt’s Life and Career

I didn’t choose to have Parkinson’s , rather it chose me -- and I rather wish it hadn’t. I actually wanted to be the next Jacques Yves Cousteau and study marine life sailing the the world’s oceans looking tanned , wearing a bright red beanie hat. Parkinson’s put a stop to that idea. But, at age seven, I had no idea what an adventure life would be.

To be fair I have been incredibly lucky , I was adopted at 18-weeks old from Liverpool and brought up in Cheshire . My parents made sure I was always stimulated emotionally, intellectually, and culturally.

I passed exams to go to the local grammar school. I was given piano and elocution lessons and took part in speech and drama festivals. I was a chorister in the local church choir, I was a cub scout , sea scout and then a venture scout. I was in the school choir and school plays. I loved playing sport even though I was pretty rubbish at everything and when it game to being picked for the team I was always the booby prize. Undaunted, I continued to play representing the school at basketball in the U15 age group .

I left school with 9 ‘O’ levels and 3 ‘A’ Levels and went to study for a degree in Business Law in London . After three years, I left without completing my degree and moved back to Cheshire to begin work . I spent nearly 25 years working for various adverting funded publishers in both the Sales and Production Departments until I got made redundant in my mid 40’s .

I know work in my dream job as Head of Patient Voice for Havas Lynx Group in the UK and Havas NOW team in the USA . This is where I have been able to begin and grow my pro-bono project to give little nuggets of positivity back to the Parkinson’s Community in the form of Parkylife – the brighter side of Parkinsons.

I have done a huge amounts of media work over the years for both Parkinson’s UK and Cure Parkinson’s appearing on National and Regional TV , National and Regional Radio and have also spoken all around the world with work.

Awards and Recognitions

Matt received the British Neuroscience Association award for Public Engagement of Neuroscience in 2020.

Matt was one of only seven people in Europe on the EyeForPharma Patient Conference Steering Committee who worked on the curation of a patient led track of the EyeForPharma Patient Summit Europe which he chaired in Barcelona.

Matt is mentioned in the book by Ray Dorsey, Todd Sherer, Michael S Okun and Bastiaan Bloem “A Prescription for Action | Ending Parkinson’s Disease.“

Most deservedly, Matt Eagles has been shortlisted for the Positive Role Model, Disability Award 2021, by the National Diversity Awards. It would be a fitting recognition of Matt’s public engagement if the BNA award for public engagement in neuroscience was awarded to him in 2020.

*Matt’s been winning awards since he was a young boy.*

Published Journal Articles

Contributor, Frontiers for Young Minds article on Parkinson’s disease treatment by J Opacka-Juffry doi: 10.3389/frym.2020.00021 - 2020

Podcast Appearances

Matt has a unique long-term experience of pro-dopaminergic pharmacological therapy and more recently, since 2006, also deep brain stimulation. His understanding of the brain in health and disease makes him a very effective public persona who explains Parkinson’s disease from a patient’s perspective. His audiences include patients and their families and care givers, health professionals, researchers and students. He tirelessly shares his experience of living with a brain disease and popularises achievements of neurology and neuroscience.

Matt Eagles has taken part in many campaigns with Parkinson’s UK to show that people with PD can live a good life apart from the obvious limitations and risks. His motto is that disease is about people.