KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — When Justin Fields first noticed a slight tremor in his left hand, he immediately chalked it up to anxiety.
He took a video to show to his doctor, thinking all the while that this is just what sometimes happens when people get stressed out on the job.
“The doctor looked at the video, and he was like, that’s not anxiety,” Fields said.
That kicked off a three-year journey toward a diagnosis. There were plenty of missteps along the way, with wrong diagnoses and wrong medications. But eventually, he was properly diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease.
He was just 31 years old when he got the news.
“I went to Dairy Queen,” he said. “I mean, I was riding alone and had my 2.5-hour drive back from Vanderbilt. I was mad, I was stunned. I just stopped off and ate ice cream in two or three different places, just kind of let it sink in, and I was mad for several months.”
But then he got involved with the Michael J. Fox Foundation. He says that opened him up to a whole new community of friends and support.
As part of that new community, Fields wanted to get involved in some of the Team Fox endurance challenges, which include 5k runs and marathons.
But Fields decided to aim a bit higher, quite literally. He’s set to take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
“I mean, really it’s not exactly the safest thing to do, especially whenever you have a condition that can just pop up all of a sudden,” he said.
But Fields does have a way to manage his condition, one that has been a life-changer. He had deep brain stimulation surgery, where a device is implanted in his body to control his tremors. He has often posted videos on TikTok that show how the device helps to calm his tremors. One video showing his ability to now eat cereal from a bowl has racked up more than five million views.
Lately, he’s been documenting his preparation ahead of his big climb. And he’s bought a ton of gear as well, including a jacket, backpack, walking sticks, sleeping pad, gaiters and more.
Fields is set to leave Aug. 6 to head to Africa for the eight-day trek up to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, which rises 19,000 feet above sea level. He’ll be part of a nine-person team, with members ranging in age from 19 to 65.
And while he says he’ll never truly be ready for this challenge, he’s not about to let that stop him.
“I’m just trying to get more people with Parkinson’s out there to be active and show that you can do it, so it’s beyond me,” he said. “I can be scared all I want to, but I really, I do have a choice, but at the same time, I don’t have a choice. I’m going to do this. And I’m going to crush it. I’m going to knock it out of the ballpark.”