Grab your winter jacket and your sharpest ice skates, the 10th annual Skate-A-Thon for Parkinson's is back.
What started as a fundraiser for Parkinson's research and exercise programs in a small backyard ice rink 10 years ago, has now turned into a unique challenge.
It's all in honor of Colleen Wuebben, an Omaha woman who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at just 52 years old. The nervous system disease can make patients stiff, have tremors and can impact their mobility and balance.
During the course of Wuebben's treatment, most of which involved medication, she discovered some Parkinson's patients improved their conditions by exercising.
So Wuebben got thinking, what could she do that could raise money for Parkinson's research and programs while also getting in exercise?
"She knew she couldn't run a marathon, she knew she couldn't climb to the top of Mount Everest but she knew how to ice skate," Wuebben's daughter Jenny Knutson said. "As strange as it sounds for someone with Parkinson's, a mobility and balance disorder, when she was on skates her gait and her glide just came naturally to her on skates." Wuebben's husband, Ted, said they always had a skating rink in the backyard. Not long after Wuebben was diagnosed, she went to her husband with two goals.
"One day she comes outside to the ice rink and said, 'I want to meet Michael J. Fox, and I want to start an exercise program for people with Parkinson's and you figure out how to pay for it,'" Ted said. "So I'm sitting on the ice rink and the 24 hour Skate-A-Thon was born."
In the first few years, the family filled their little rink in the backyard. Some years the ice getting so soft by the end, only the kids could finish the 24 hour skate.
But between friends, family and even some strangers with big hearts, they worked toward Wuebben's goals.
Colleen Wuebben passed away in 2013, at 60 years old. But before she passed, she already left her mark.
Using the money she raised, she made a donation to Parkinson's research, which led her to her meeting with Michael J. Fox.
Seven years ago, the family began to work with UNMC to create a bigger event using their ice rink. In the seven years they've been there, they've raised more than $155,000.
"It's an amazing experience when you're here at night and the crowd is going, the DJ is here, people are skating, saying hi to friends you haven't seen in a year," Knutson said. "Then you're out here at night and you're thinking, 'wow do I have what it takes to do this for a few more hours?' And you look around and think, 'yes I do! We're here for a pretty important reason.' And then the sun comes up and it's an amazing time. We've made it, we've done it one more day and we're just filling ourselves with hope that we can go out there and continue the Parkinson's Nebraska experience."
The 2017 Skate-A-Thon is Friday, January 27th starting at 2 p.m. and goes until Saturday, January 28th at 2 p.m. It's just $10 for all you can skate, including skate rentals.
You can also make donations.
There's no requirement to skate the full 24 hours, though many will try to last that long. But the Weubben family is hoping the event will continue to grow and make an even bigger impact for local families suffering from Parkinson's Disease.
"She (Colleen) said to me when she was in hospice, 'this is going to be easy because all the people suffering with Parkinson's and their care givers that's gonna be hard.'"
There will be a DJ, games, prizes, food, hot chocolate and a warming tent for anyone stopping by just to catch a glimpse of the skaters. At 10 p.m. there is a pajama and pizza party.
And at 1 a.m., for those brave souls, there is a skivvy skating party. That's skating 20 laps in nothing but your bare essentials.
Video Link: http://health.einnews.com/article/363910246/1PhhRtr505G7E9nf?lcf=Hzf-KE6h-Xmcpvzwcdl3CuzbRmZ8XaTUdg3y3lN96pg%3D
http://health.einnews.com/article/363910246/1PhhRtr505G7E9nf?lcf=Hzf-KE6h-Xmcpvzwcdl3CuzbRmZ8XaTUdg3y3lN96pg%3
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