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Living with Parkinson's disease SuperWalk draws attention to neurodegenerative disease affecting 100,000 Canadians

By Ryan Bolton
News Aug 06, 2008
http://www.burlingtonpost.com/news/article/196526

Register for this SuperWalk

He describes his disease like a broken radio. The wire connects and the music blares, but then it breaks and everything goes static.

Doug Gibson, 73, suffers from Parkinson's.

Diagnosed eight years ago, he has trouble speaking and sometimes completely freezes up. Occasionally he bites his tongue, has mild body tremors and has no sense of smell whatsoever. He pops 25 pills daily and can no longer handwrite or play golf like he used to.

"So, that's what it's like to have Parkinson's," Gibson says in his invariably wry manner. But things haven't always been like this.

"It was about three weeks ago that I went down a level," he said looking out at the lush garden in his backyard. "Things that didn't bother me are starting to bother me, because they're becoming more intense, particularly my ability to speak. It has affected my mouth, the way I move my mouth and lips, my jaw. Sometimes I will be talking and I will freeze and can't move anything."

Many know of the disease, but like Gibson before his diagnosis, are unaware of the symptoms and cause of Parkinson's. When diagnosed, he took out a book from the library to educate himself.

Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease, which is caused when the cells that produce dopamine -- a chemical that carries signals between the brain and nerves -- die and the various signs of Parkinson's begin to manifest. The most common symptoms are impaired balance, body tremors or shaking, slowness and stiffness. There is no known cure for the disease that affects more than 100,000 Canadians.

There is a SuperWalk, however.

Burlington is once again a host city for the national event in support of Parkinson Society Canada. There are two routes -- two kilometres or 5 km -- with registration beginning at noon on Sunday, Sept. 14 at Notre Dame Secondary School.

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