‘I drove 18,000 treacherous miles from UK to South Africa for touching reason’

3,650 prescription pills, 25 countries, and 12 months is what it took for Guy Deacon to make it from the UK to South Africa in his VW Transporter.

Only a handful of vehicles have ever attempted the tricky route – some never completing the journey – but Guy, 60, who lived and slept in his van, was determined to fulfil his lifelong dream.

It was far from easy. He faced illegal checkpoints, extortion, extreme weather, terrible road conditions, contaminated fuel, lack of services, punctured tyres, burned-out clutches, malaria, and even had to abort the mission entirely due to Covid-19 restrictions in March 2020. 

But what makes his adventure all the more remarkable is that former Army colonel officer Guy suffers from Stage 3 Parkinson’s disease. By the time he restarted the journey two years later in 2022, his condition had deteriorated significantly. 

The simplest tasks, from putting on clothes to typing a text became laborious for Guy, who has lived with the condition for ten years – but he refused to give up, which can be seen in hisChannel 4 documentary, World’s Toughest Drive: An African Adventure.

Sadly, since his trip, Guy suffered a stroke in July 2024, which has dramatically affected his speech and he can no longer give interviews using his voice.So instead, Metro spoke to Guy about his epic adventure via email. Here’s what he told us…

We’re so sorry to hear about your stroke, how are you doing?

Thank you, it has affected me both physically and emotionally. I continue to have mobility and communication problems and have been receiving rehab treatment at a specialist brain injury rehab centre. It had a huge impact on my life and will probably continue to for some time. I have been denied my independence and that is the hardest thing to come to terms with, but compared to last summer, my recovery has been remarkable.

What was the inspiration behind your road trip?

I love the adventure. It’s been a dream of mine for years and years – I have wanted to do this journey ever since I was at school. Most people thought I was mad but I felt inspired to not let Parkinson’s have the final say in who I am.

Did you achieve what you set out to?

I did. My Parkinson’s made it almost impossible at times, but I was determined to finish.

What kind of planning did you do ahead of the trip?

I was haphazard. When it came to the practical side of the journey, I tried to make everything light and simple, be as operational as possible and ensure that things would be easy to do by myself. I prepared the route and packed the essentials. I was looking forward to the journey – I thought if I take everything slow and have my paperwork up to scratch what could go wrong? The hardest part was convincing my wife and children that it was a good idea.

How has the Parkinson’s diagnosis impacted your life?

At the time, I was still working on a permanent basis. The Parkinson’s wasn’t so bad then, so I was quietly ignoring it but when I think back to the day that I was diagnosed, I remember being shocked by it. It is frightening. 

I suffer from a particular type where things move very slowly. I tend to be very static. You reduce your activity levels to a bare minimum because you find things more difficult. Everything becomes more and more of a drain. I am not the man I was before the diagnosis. One day I was a leader, responsible for everything and breadwinner, now I can’t even get out of bed.

Parkinson’s is a heavily stigmatised condition in Africa and often linked to witchcraft and black magic, leaving sufferers ostracised and abandoned by their communities. Were you aware of this before the trip?

It came as a big surprise. It was very sad as their treatment is so inadequate compared to my own. The stories I heard of black magic were sad as this is just people’s ignorance, capital failure and, dare I say it, lack of government support.

Having people think you are contagious and cursed by witchcraft must be unbearable. They can end up being left alone to eventually die. If I can get people to understand that I am the same as them, it might help. We are all suffering the same thing just in different places. 

What could be done to correct the misconceptions?

The reality is that people don’t know enough about Parkinson’s and if people know what to look for then they know how to behave towards people and how to look after them. I will do my best to tell people the truth about this disease so we can find a way to give better access to treatments. 

What was the biggest road trip challenge?

Some of the toughest times came if I’d forgotten to take my medication on time or if I had to do particularly stressful negotiations at one of the border crossings. Stress can make my Parkinson’s worse and make it hard to think clearly so if it was escalating, I would just lie on the ground – sometimes for a couple of hours – until it passed. Driving a VW through Africa was also a challenge in that when parts of the car broke – which they frequently did from the clutch to the rear differential, they were almost impossible to come by.

Were there any emotional days?

I appeared on the Cimidi programme in the Ivory Coast and they secretly organised for my family to record a video message of encouragement, strength, love and support. They played it during the show and it was a really emotional moment for me to see my wife and children. It gave me a big boost for the rest of the journey. 

Did you ever want to go home?

Yes – when the clutch went while I was in Cote Ivoire. I thought I would be unable to continue the trip.

Were there any moments of real joy?

The whole trip was a whirlwind but visiting the Basilica in Cote Ivoire was a standout moment because it was high on my African bucket list. Driving was liberating, from the open roads to the ability to go anywhere and being the master of my own destiny.

What are your hopes for the Channel 4 documentary show?

One of my ambitions is to provoke discussion and raise awareness about Parkinson’s. I drove through places where the condition is little known or understood, so the trip was all about raising awareness to show that they are not alone and there are lots of us in the same position.

The documentary is also for those special people in this world who have given up so much to care for loved ones struggling with Parkinson’s Disease. They too are victims; they too suffer. I hope to inspire people to keep living life normally. If I can do this, anyone can do anything.

Are you planning any more trips?

I’ve got a long road to recovery ahead of me, but if all goes well I want to take a van from South Africa up the East coast of Africa to the North coast of Egypt to complete the full round trip of Africa.

Guy was supported throughout his journey by Cure Parkinson’s a charity set up to find a cure for Parkinson’s as well as Parkinson’s Africa, whose mission is to raise awareness and empower those with Parkinson’s to make informed decisions about their own health. Guy is an ambassador for both charities.

World’s Toughest Drive: An African Adventure will air tonight on Channel 4 at 11pm. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Josie.Copson@metro.co.uk 

Share your views in the comments below.