Parkinson’s Awareness
I fell in the creek.
I had just finished running my best run on the trail near my neighborhood that crosses the Sugarland Run and I hit the stepping stones a little too fast and a little too confident maybe.
I felt myself moving in a bad direction and rather than fight it and risk an awkward fall and a possible injury, I went with it and stepped into the creek and waded across the stream to the other side.
I was close to home so finishing out in my wet running shoes was not an issue. However, feeling a little silly was and thankfully no one was around to see my misstep.
In the twenty years I have lived by this creek and this trail I had fallen in only one other time before.
And there may have been a beer or two involved in that incident.
And Kim will tell you I have been known to fall off my bike a time or two.
But there may have been Margaritas involved in those incidents, as well as a little loose beach sand.
All of those situations involved a lot of laughter too.
Today is World Parkinson’s Awareness Day which kicks off Parkinson’s Awareness Week (April 11 to April 17) which is part of Parkinson’s Awareness Month (April).
Parkinson’s is Parkinson’s Disease.
It was estimated that by 2020 there would be a million people living in the U.S with Parkinson’s and more than ten million worldwide.
In my life, at least two people who I have been close to were diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
My friend Frank, who I wrote about last spring after he contracted Covid and passed away as a result of the virus, had Parkinson’s. He once told me he realized something was wrong with him when he started having problems landing his airplane.
The other person, whose disease progression I have experienced a little more closely, is my dad.
My dad has Parkinson’s Disease too.
Like my friend Frank, my dad realized something was changing with him when he started having problems doing things that were relatively routine to him. In my dad’s case, it was riding his bike. He started falling frequently.
In his case though, there were no Margaritas to blame.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement.
The Parkinson’s Foundation says not all people are affected the same but these symptoms are common:
- Tremor
- Bradykinesia (Slow movement)
- Limb rigidity
- Gait and balance problems
Though the cause is unknown, and there isn’t a cure, there are some medications that may help.
However, in addition to the “motor” impairment, some Parkinson’s symptoms may be unrelated to movement (“non-motor”). People with PD are often more impacted by their non-motor symptoms which can be more troublesome and disabling than motor symptoms. Examples of non-motor symptoms include: apathy, depression, sleep behavior disorders, loss of sense of smell, cognitive impairment, and hallucinations and delusions.
Many people have become familiar with Parkinson’s Disease because of the actor Michael J. Fox who was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s in 1991 at the age of 29 and became an advocate for Parkinson’s research.
My father’s disease includes less of the tremors commonly associated with Parkinson’s and more of the limb rigidity, gait and balance problems, and slowness in movement.
As a result, he falls a lot.
It’s hard for my dad, who was used to wind sailing, skiing, snowboarding, climbing ladders, was comfortable working and standing on the edge of a roof, and unlike me could skip across stepping stones in a stream.
I didn’t get those genes.
I learned early on that balancing on a surfboard, a skateboard, or a pair of skis were not to be part of my life’s enjoyment.
And now as my dad’s disease progresses, he experiences more of the non-motor symptoms including cognitive impairment and hallucinations.
Though I am not concerned about my recent inability to navigate the rocks across the stream, I have lost my sense of smell, and that is one of the early non-motor symptoms of PD.
Therefore I am hoping I didn’t get those genes either.
The organization EndingPD.org has a Facebook page titled Ending Parkinson’s Disease and is currently running a campaign called #Give a Dime, a take-off of the 1930’s March of Dimes program that helped to fund polio research. In conjunction, they are organizing a “Red Card” campaign that will flood the White House with cards telling the President why you give a dime.
I thought flooding the White House with cards sounded like fun so I sent away for my cards to then send to the President.
And I sent another card this week.
It was to my dad.
You see today is not only World Parkinson’s Awareness Day, but coincidentally it’s my dad’s birthday too.
Today my dad turned ninety-two.
So Happy Birthday Pop!
Thanks for helping to make the world a better place all these years and for helping to make the world more aware of Parkinson’s Disease.
Postscript:
If you want more info about Parkinson’s Disease the Parkinson’s Foundation is a great place to start.
I learned about EndingPD.org and the #Give a Dime and the Red Card campaign when a co-worker of mine sent me a video of a young lady named Charlotte who was supporting the cause because her grandfather suffered from the disease.
And should you happen to make a donation or send the President a card, I thank you.