Parkinson's disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease. It is a chronic, progressive neurological disorder responsible for devastating physical and mental disability in its victims. The causes of PD are unknown and currently without a known cure.

Parkinson’s patients experience symptoms such as muscle rigidity, debilitating slow movements, tremors, sleep disturbances and pain. Current medications and treatments for this incurable disease can induce disruptive and painful side effects such as often-violent excessive movements known as dyskinesia, cognitive slowing, and psychosis.

Unfortunately, as the disease progresses, the motor and non-motor symptoms worsen and become increasingly difficult to treat. Current drug therapies for PD alleviate some motor symptoms, but no proven means of slowing progression has been found. With disease progression, Parkinson’s patients experience motor unpredictability and fluctuation. Patients do not know when the medication will “kick in,” (resulting in an “on” period) or even if it will (resulting in an “off” or immobile period.) Ultimately, PD is a disorder of immobility, where persons suffering from the disease can feel trapped in their own bodies.

Although the vast majority of those affected by PD are over age 65, Parkinson’s strikes an increasing number of younger persons, when its victims are in the prime of their working careers. Young onset patients, those diagnosed at age 50 and under, more frequently experience treatment-related motor complications and depression than do older-onset patients. These treatment-related complications often lead to loss of employment, disruption of family life, and greater perceived social stigmatization.

Parkinson’s does not discriminate. Interestingly, it has been linked with a number of professions: farmers, welders, and, believe it or not, physicians and teachers.

Read what our advocates have to say about the personal and real affects of Parkinson’s:

I am Bob Mandelkern, Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) state co-coordinator from Connecticut.
 
I have suffered with Parkinson's disease for at least 10 years. It is a ROTTEN disease. It daily and never endingly robs me of my life. It is a struggle to sleep, to get out of bed, to wash, & dress. Walking has become next to impossible, and fear of falling from imbalance is constant. There is no muscle controlled activity that is not affected. I live on hope –

 

Bob Mandelkern
West Hartford, Connecticut

I have seen my future and it is not very pretty. It holds a wheelchair, the inability to speak,move, feed myself, clothe myself or hold my beautiful grandchildren. As they take their first steps, I start shuffling. As they speak their first words, I began to slur. As they learn to dress themselves, I need help buttoning my shirtor tying my shoes. I am supposed to protect them from the ugly in the world, but instead I am exposing them to this thief called Parkinson's that is stealing the person I once was. Parkinson's is cruel. When I am no longer able to function my brain will still be able to make me aware of my deterioration.

 

Kay Mixson Jenkins
Springfield, Georgia

I am getting worse and it affects my spouse, my 13-year old son, my therapy clients, and the elementary school students I teach poetry to. They all hate to see me walk like a very old woman when my pills don’t kick in, and my 13-year old doesn’t get it when I need a two-hour nap at 4:00 in the afternoon after a long walk in the park when I seemed perfectly ok. He doesn’t get it when we can’t ride bikes together anymore, or drive him somewhere when my legs feel too weak. And it scares him when I can’t keep my balance at night. Quite honestly, it scares me terribly as well. Throughout the day, I can either be walking rapidly with both arms swinging, or actually unable to lift my arm to pick up a pencil never mind try to walk across the room. Sometimes when I stand up and try to take a step forward, I stumble and need to grab hold of a chair. It’s dreadful for my son to see, especially after I’ve just easily run to the corner ice cream store with him moments before. Such is the capricious nature of this disease.
 
I don’t get it either because with all of the resources this great country has at its disposal, I simply don’t understand why we can’t find a cure.

 

Leonore Gordon
Brooklyn, New York

I was diagnosed 5 years ago with Parkinson's disease at the age of 51. At that time I was told I would have 9 years of quality life and that there would probably be a cure within the next 5 years. Five of my 9 years have passed and Parkinson's is taking over my life, and there is no cure yet.
 
How wonderful it would be:
 
-To jump out of bed and get ready for the day in an hour instead ofhaving to wait for medicines to take affect before getting out of bed.
 
-To be able to roll over in bed and not feel like a turtle on its back.
 
-To reach for something and be able to pick it up without waiting for the mind to get the message across.
 
-To go for long walks with the grandchildren and talk for hours on end, instead of short, slow walks and conversation interrupted by loss of words and stutters.
 
-To be able to sleep a whole night through instead of trying to find something interesting to do at 2:30 A.M.
 
-To have a normal, retired life that isn't controlled by the power of Parkinson's disease.

 

Bonnie Younkin
Huron, South Dakota