The 42-year-old suffered a severe stroke in September that left him with locked-in syndrome, a condition of almost total paralysis. Parkinson, who is married with three young children, is having daily physio sessions at the Priory Highbank Centre in Bury having previously been treated at the Fairfield hospital in St Helens. A spokesperson for the centre told www.blackpoolfc.co.uk: "Gary's medical condition has remained stable in the five weeks since his return from Fairfield. "The team at Highbank are now able to assess his rehabilitation needs and he has made some progress, although this remains slow due to the severe nature of his neurological condition." Blackpool assistant manager Steve Thompson visits Parkinson regularly, and he said: "No one knows how long it is going to be before he gets through this illness, so we have to make sure we keep the support going and keep what has happened to Parky in the public eye so he isn't forgotten about. "As staff and players we have got to make sure we look after his family the best we can, and I am sure we will."
