Shirley Neufeld of Preeceville and her daughter, Deanna Mirva of Dalmeny, have taken up the challenge of helping to raise awareness and funds for research for Parkinson’s disease. They will be participating in the Parkinson’s Super Walk in Saskatoon on September 13.
Parkinson SuperWalk is the largest national fundraising event for the Parkinson’s Society Canada (PSC) and its regional partners. Approximately 14,000 people from coasttocoast organize and take part in Parkinson’s SuperWalk. This year marks the 25th anniversary of this nationwide event.
Parkinson’s SuperWalk will take place on September 12 and 13 in 115 communities throughout Canada. Last year supporters raised $2.9 million across Canada. Since 1990, it has raised more than $31 million for support services, research, advocacy and education
“For me and my daughter it is a personal quest,” said Neufeld.
“In 1969, my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. As our family had no understanding of the diagnosis, we really had limited to no understanding of how to support our parents.
Although he continued with his sense of humour and positive personality, it was hard to watch the physical deterioration over the years. Later on, our mother and two of her sisters were diagnosed along with my brother in 1966.
“The most difficult moment during this time was watching our mother’s heart wrenching reaction when she realized that this condition had gone down to the next generation. To watch our family deal with this has been very dif? cult as many times there is a feeling of helplessness. The main thing that we have learnt was to just show our love and reassurance that they have our support.
However, over the past 20 years we have seen much improvement in the treatment of Parkinson’s. It had helped with the improvement of my brother’s quality of life for the first 15 years of the diagnosis.
“With the great strides in the research we are con? dent that it can only improve. With the new technology the quality of life has vastly improved for everyone with Parkinson’s. I have no concerns about myself getting the disease. I have taken a very realistic view that even if I had or every would get Parkinson’s, there is not much we can do about.
Just deal with it, move forward and with modern technology hope that in the future that a cure can be found. My daughter and I are looking forward to the walk and in preparation, I walk about four kilometres,” said Neufeld.
Parkinson’s disease was first described by Dr. James Parkinson in 1817. Parkinson’s is a progressive brain disorder. Movement is normally controlled by dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between the nerves in the brain. When cells that normally produce dopamine die, the symptoms of Parkinson’s appear.
Parkinson’s disease is not just a movement disorder. It is also characterized by a number of non-motor symptoms Currently there is no cure. You can live with Parkinson’s for years. The symptoms are treated with medication. Some people with Parkinson’s may benefit from surgery.
Each person with Parkinson’s is unique and may experience different symptoms and different rates of progression. As the disease progresses, non-motor symptoms may also appear, such as depression, difficulty swallowing, sexual problems or cognitive changes.
Finding the right treatment as symptoms change over time is important and requires the expertise of specialized healthcare professionals. It is important to find a doctor who is knowledgeable about Parkinson’s, ideally a neurologist. By working with a healthcare team, a treatment plan can be created that will meet the person’s individual needs
