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| Geri Berding and her father Robert Terry, both have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease |
April 11, 2016
When
Clear Lake resident Geri Berding's hands began trembling so badly that she
couldn't put on makeup, she went to see a neurologist. As he began
administering tests to her, she recognized what they were for because her
father, Robert Terry of Thornton, has Parkinson's disease.Berding's own
diagnosis was two years ago this month, which is also Parkinson's Awareness
Month.
Now
Berding, 56, is organizing a Parkinson's Awareness Event on April 30 in Clear
Lake that will include a fun run/walk, live music, a silent auction and
information booths.
Nearly
200 people already have signed up for the run/walk. "It's just
amazing," Berding said.
Those
with Parkinson's will be at the front of the walk. Berding will push her father
in his wheelchair.
She
said always has new stories to tell her husband, Hal, about how everyone is
being so supportive of the event."My heart is full every day," she
said.
Terry,
78, was diagnosed with Parkinson's a decade ago. He said he was dizzy and
uncoordinated and thought he had vertigo.
It
is now hard for him to walk. He's had to give up playing golf, even though he
still likes to use a cart to accompany his friends on the course.
He
has been able to hang on to some of his veterinary practice. On Monday he
vaccinated some dogs.
Terry
also still enjoys teasing his daughter."He calls me the exercise
Gestapo," Berding said, noting she is always reminding him to use his
recumbent bike.
She
said when the doctor reassured her that her Parkinson's was mild, he told her
she was perfect.
Berding
then told her father, "Guess what? I'm perfect."
Terry,
an Iowa State fan, shot back, "No you're not. You're a Hawkeye fan."
Terry
and his daughter are affected differently by Parkinson's.
Terry
has lost some of his sense of taste. "Foods I used to like, I don't like
anymore," he said.
Berding
has lost her sense of smell. She is also constantly fatigued.
Berding,
who has been teaching special education in the Clear Lake School District for
the past 31 years, has decided to take early retirement at the end of this
school year despite her love for the job.
"My
body has been telling me all that time that I'm doing the right thing,"
she said.
Berding
said she wanted to organize the Parkinson's Awareness Event to raise money for
research, noting there's still no cure for the disease.
All
of the money raised will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's
Research.
Berding
also said she wants to raise awareness because people don't know a lot about
Parkinson's.
A
third goal is for people in North Iowa and southern Minnesota who have
Parkinson's to get to know each other and form a support network.
Berding
said she likes the saying, "I have Parkinson's, but Parkinson's doesn't
have me.
"That's
my attitude about all this," she said.
http://globegazette.com/news/local/north-iowa-father-daughter-both-have-parkinson-s/article_12f2e063-c633-599a-808b-a8003f5e88a5.html
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