The Wollongong man is now 34 – three years older than his dad Peter was when diagnosed with the neurological disorder.

Mr Arneman is taking part in the Parkinson’s Unity Walk and Run later this month to pay homage to his father – who raised his four kids on his own despite his crippling condition.

‘’Our family would be at the dinner table and dad’s hand would shake when he tried to eat,’’ he said. ‘’When we watched the football, and when a team was about to score a try, dad would jitter and shake slightly, like he was overly excited, but he had no way to control it. 

‘’He would joke it off to us kids and make us laugh … but we didn’t really know what caused it. All we knew was the name of this condition - it was called Parkinson’s disease.’’

In 1991, actor Michael J Fox would be diagnosed with the same disease, bringing awareness to many – including Mr Arneman and his siblings.

‘’It was after this event as a young teenager, that I finally started to become aware of Parkinson’s disease and what my dad could expect in the future. And it frightened me.’’

Mr Arneman was 10 when his mother Marilyn died after a battle with lung cancer. He believes that his dad’s determination to control his disease, stemmed from his drive to stay alive for his kids.

‘’Over the 30-plus years my dad never gave up the fight with Parkinson’s,’’ he said. ‘’And he never let the disease control his life.

‘’Regardless of how he was feeling, if his medication was working or not – my dad was always there for us kids.

‘’If he wasn’t at my acting performances cheering the loudest in the front row, he was at my sisters’ sporting matches. He never missed a game or performance.’’

A surgical procedure known as deep brain stimulation stabilised his dad’s condition for some years, but it eventually progressed and he died aged 64 in 2011.

‘’It was during my dad’s last years that I saw the painful truth of Parkinson’s and how cruel this disease can be,’’ Mr Arneman said.

‘’As a child and to watch your only parent slowly fade, is probably the cruelest punishment I have endured – and furthermore feeling alone and powerless to help them makes it even worse. 

‘’The disease leaves a mark on everyone’s lives. It affects the patient, their families, friends and loved ones. No-one is spared.’’

Mr Arneman will run in the Unity event for the fourth time in 2016. 

‘’Each year I run for my dad, and I know he is running beside me,’’ he said.

The event is on August 28 at Stuart Park, Wollongong and at Sydney Olympic Park. Details at www.unitywalkandrun.com.au