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| Tom Sherlin | The Daily Times |
Having Parkinson’s disease is not a walk in the park, but a walk in the park on Oct. 1 will give a big boost to awareness of the disease as well as funds for research that organizers hope will ensure an end to its devastating effects.
The PJ Parkinson’s Support Group will hold this second annual 1K walk-a-thon beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Jack Greene Park, part of the Maryville Greenway, behind the Blount County Courthouse. Registration will be held from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at First Baptist Church of Maryville, 202 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway, across the parkway from the courthouse. A minimum donation of $15 per person is suggested for participation, and a T-shirt and goodie bag will be provided. Advance registration is being accepted at the website, PJParkinsons.com, but participants may register the day of the event. Parking will be available at the church and at the courthouse.
Isabell Senft-Daniel, vice president of the support group, said, “After last year’s walk at Shannondale of Maryville was so successful, we hope we can get even more people, and extended the walk to the town property. We are very thankful that the city of Maryville gave permission that we could do this. First Baptist Church has allowed us to do registration at their property, and the police will be there to guide people for and back.”
She said local businesses will have healthy food and health information at the park pavilion. “We will also have some music, and we will have a silent auction,” she said. “The prizes will be displayed at the pavilion. They can also look online in advance to see what is available. This time it will be mainly gift baskets.”
Community support
The PJ Parkinson’s Support Group of Blount County’s organizational meeting was held in April 2015, and the group meets from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every fourth Thursday of the month at the Community Center at Shannondale of Maryville. Senft-Daniel, one of the people who spearheaded the formation of the support group, serves as its vice president. She is Shannondale of Maryville’s wellness director and a certified instructor in a treatment called LSVT BIG and LOUD that has shown promise for those with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease.
David Maxwell, vice president and administrator of Shannondale of Maryville, said, “We have an enthusiast Isabell, who wanted to help form the PJ Parkinson’s Support Group, so we’re in full support of Isabell as an employee and her participation in the support group.”
Senft-Daniel said the group has attracted a surprising number of “Parkies” as well as their care partners and others who are seeking a place to give and receive practical and emotional support. People come together to discuss concerns and share mutual experiences on all aspects of Parkinson’s disease as well as to raise awareness. People from surrounding counties attend the meetings and also take advantage of the recently opened outreach house off Old Niles Ferry Road in Maryville, provided courtesy of Fairview United Methodist Church. Parkies are offered several classes, including art and wood shop, and other activities are being planned.
Community members, including Dick Ray and Joy Wilson, who serves as treasurer of the support group, do not have Parkinson’s disease but know the importance of support and awareness. Ray was a good friend of the late Harold “Sonny” Lambert, a Parkie who devoted his time and funds to the group; Wilson worked with Stephen Swanger, a physician who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s and is a member of the support group.
KiMe Fund
Support from Parkinson’s groups in surrounding areas has proven beneficial for all. Steve Hodges, who founded the KiMe Fund of East Tennessee Foundation in 2010 after his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, said, “This is a field-of-interest fund I established with the East Tennessee Foundation. We’re focused on finding a cure for Parkinson’s. We assembled a board of directors of 11 different members from five different states. We raise money in Houston, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Knoxville. We’re fortunate that Isabell contacted us, and we want to support Isabell in anything she’s doing, whether it’s Oak Ridge, Knoxville or Maryville, we’re going to be there with our support from the KiMe Fund.” The KiMe Fund is named in honor of Hodges’ daughter, Kim and Megan. “I know where I’m at in my disease progression, so I want to focus on finding a cure for the next generation of kids, anywhere in the world.”
Grants from the KiMe Fund have been awarded to Henry Ford Hospital in West Bloomfield, Mich., to support research exploring distinctive changes in the body’s metabolism which might lead to a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease and to Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Mich, to support research exploring how to protect the neurons that are most vulnerable to degeneration in Parkinson’s disease.
Potential symptoms
Early diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease is extremely important to maintain a good quality of life for the patient. The disease can mimic other diseases, one reason why patients may not be diagnosed properly at first. Senft-Daniel said if you have the following symptoms, discuss them with your physician:
• Micrographia, an acquired disorder where there is abnormally small, cramped handwriting, or the progression to continually smaller handwriting; it is commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders of the basal ganglia, such as in Parkinson’s disease;
- Loss of the sense of smell;
- Arms do not swing properly — they may hang stiffly rather than swing when you walk;
- Constipation;
- Change of posture — stooped;
- “Face mask,” in which the face does not show expression;
- Very soft voice;
- Drooling;
- Lack of balance;
- Tremors.
To learn more about the PJ Parkinson’s Support Group of Blount County, visit the website at PJParkinsons.com or call Senft-Daniel at 865-765-9444.
What: PJ Parkinson's Support Group of Blount County's second annual 1K walk-a-thon
When/Where: Registration, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, First Baptist Church of Maryville, 202 W. Lamar Alexander Parkway; walk begins at 9:30 a.m. at Jack Greene Park, part of the Maryville Greenway, behind the Blount County Courthouse
Cost: Minimum donation of $15 per person is suggested for participation, and a T-shirt and goodie bag will be provided
Registration: PJParkinsons.com, but participants may register the day of the event
Parking: Available at the church and at the courthouse
Information: Visit PJParkinsons.com or call Isabell Senft-Daniel at 865-765-9444
http://www.thedailytimes.com/community/a-walk-in-the-park-fight-parkinson-s-disease-feet/article_6cfa328c-cf82-5ca8-8c67-49a9d9378100.html
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