The CEO of the Seattle Y sent a message this morning to the 50 largest Ys in the US, Canada and Mexico, citing the article and encouraging them to start the program, also offering his assistance. One of the persons he wrote to is: Charles Collins, ccollins@ymcasf.org who is CEO of the San Francisco Y. Would you like to contact him so he knows that people are out there who need the program? If you need any help, let me know. I always start with the CEO and they direct me from there. If he is interested, they will need a licensing agreement, which is free, and they get working through my husband and me. You can contact me directly at nan.little@comcast.net.

I got an electric trike last August and I love it. I could never be motivated enough to ride a stationary bike indoors. I like to be outdoors and with my electric trike I can bike ride even when I am not having a good day and have trouble walking around the house. The good thing is that you have to pedal in order for the electric assist to work, and the electric assist allows me to ride much longer and farther than I could before on a regular bike. I am not sure how many rpm's I pedal, but the electric assist makes me pedal faster than I could otherwise and I am sure that riding my trike is helping me. It is a Torker electric trike. I agree with one of the first comments in this thread that insurance companies should help us buy bikes and trikes. I probably could have gotten insurance money for a scooter, but my trike is so much better for me. Another thing I like about my trike is that when the electric is not on, I can ride slowly at a pace with people who are walking. On a bike, you cannot ride slowly because you lose your balance. Since I cannot walk very far, I like having my trike to ride when others are going for a walk.

I go riding all the time, at least in the warmer months. In the past, it wasn't uncommon for me to put in a good 50 or 80 mile ride on a weekend, plus an easy 10 to 15 miles during a weekday evening ride. Over the years, I've gone from a strictly road-only bike to a hybrid off-road/on-road bike. This has given me the opportunity to ride trails and travel in a much safer place than on the road.

Where I live there are many hills, in fact I live on the side of a hill in a gulley and have to climb out on to the road, which is uphill! This has proven to be some great exercise in its self.

John

Today I had my first appointment with my neurologist since 2009, the year after I was diagnosed. Happily he told me that other than having a little more tremor in one hand, my PD has not progressed. "Looks like the biking helps," he commented. He also said he still can't believe I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. I told him I can't believe it either.

It's good to hear about all the folks cycling as best as we can. Riding is not a miracle cure, but thankfully it makes a difference for many.

Nan,

That is terrific news. I finallyhave a bike!!! I went with an upright Schwinn. I am happy to report that I can easily maintain 70 RPM...for 5 minutes. Not to worry I am just that woefully out of shape. I did do 30 second intervals to put myself in the zone of 80-90 RPM. Now I just need to work up to 40 minutes.

Laura

Laura, I'm so happy to hear that. We start where we are; not where we think we should be. You'll get there. I have every confidence that a month from now you'll write quite a different post. And two months after that, yet another. I'm so very proud of you.

In the last few posts that I made, I spoke of Pedaling for Parkinson's at the Y programs. Since then, several programs have started in Florida and Ohio; Seattle started its second round of classes today and programs continue in Michigan. In several states various Ys and other people and facilities that work with PD patients are in the process of starting programs.

i was able to join the Seattle class today and it was heartwarming to watch four new riders and one from the first class easily reach and sustain the 80-90 rpms for 40 minutes. Each person told his or her own story/reason for joining the class. They all had the common theme that they are so pleased to be able to do something themselves to take back their lives. They all commented on the camaraderie that they already felt in the class and how great it was to be with other PD patients who didn't need explanations. I felt wonderful just being with them.

Many of you know that because of Pedaling for Parkinson's I was able to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro last summer. I thought I would never climb another mountain, but this spring we will trek to Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal. As a 66 year old woman with PD, I know that this will be another huge challenge, but having stood at the top of Africa encourages me to think that I can do this too. I am truly in better shape and more physically active than i ever was before PD. I don't mean to imply that everyone can climb high mountains, but I do believe that many of us with PD can do more than we ever thought possible.

I am always concerned when well-meaning people say that if you just try harder, have more faith, or whatever, you can "beat" your neurological disorder or cancer or whatever problem you face. For me and many others fast paced cycling has helped us mitigate the symptoms of PD. There is no guarantee it will work for everyone, but trying it is better than the alternative in my book.

This has been an amazing week and a half. I was honored to be invited to a reception organized to share the work of MJFF. I met Michael and we talked about hockey, climbing the Grouse Grind in Vancouver, Bhutan and all sorts of things, even PD. Debi Brooks and Indigogo were there. What a thrill to meet people I only know by name or moniker. The next morning I flew to New York for my first PPAC (People with Parkinson's Advisory Council) meeting with PDF. Once again, what an opportunity to meet people who have found creative ways to make PD an asset, or at least a vehicle for doing their best to effect change in research and application of resources for PwPs. Then home to Seattle in time for the APDA Hope Auction where I was so surprised and pleased to see that the banner I made brought in $740 for APDA. People paid $20 to sign the banner and then it was sold on the live auction. I'm carrying it with me to Nepal and will proudly and humbly set it in the breeze at the Annapurna base camp to send prayers of Hope Honor and Remembrance for those who signed the banner. When we return I'll quilt it into a wall hanging for the winner at the APDA auction, Hal Newsome, who wrote a book called Hope and has been to Annapurna. Why bother to share this? Without PD, none of these wonderful people or opportunities would never have entered my life. Without Jay Alberts' Pedaling for Parkinson's, I would not have been able to take advantage of these opportunities, including climbing Kilimanjaro last summer and riding in RAGBRAI. I am so much stronger now than before PD. I can feel my body changing with cramps, locked fingers, need for naps, lost words when I least expect it, banging into walls now and then, inability to write legibly, and other common PD problems, but I still feel like I'm one of the most fortunate people alive.

Nan! Thank you. Wonderful! You're definitely inspiring me. Have had a big leap in symptoms recently (maybe related to a prolonged dental ordeal): huge tremor all over, slow, stiff, really bumming me out lately. Miserable. Worried. But...got to keep going. Got a used Theracycle 100 recently, do yoga, aquatics, dance, chorus, took a falling "how-to" class today, 3 more to follow (not a problem yet, but I can see it coming). Seeing your post tonight helps. Thanks again, and more power to you.

It's 3:17 a.m. and my body thinks it's somewhere over the Pacific even though it's in Seattle. We just returned from Nepal where we trekked to the Annapurna Base Camp, truly one of the most beautiful spots on earth. The "trek" (as opposed to "climb" where one uses technical equipment) took 12 days, going up and down STEEP stone steps, over raging rivers on suspension bridges that took my breath away, anticipating the afternoon downpour, and looking at nearly every turn at the awe-inspiring Himalaya. Annapurna I was in front of us, even at 4:15a.m. when I would awaken with the first glimmer of light on her snowy face and peek out my window to see if I were still really there.

At 66 I was the oldest woman on the trek and the only person with a disease (read: "I was the last one to reach the teahouse most days."), but everyone cheered when my guide and I arrived. So many times I stopped on the trail and just wept, remembering my mom and brother and giving thanks for being in such a holy place. I took the HOPE banner that I made for the APDA auction and held it in the wind alongside the prayer flags at various places along the trail and at the base camp. Now I'll quilt it for the APDA auction winner.

One day, just after we arrived at our teahouse, there was a deluge that caught a French-Canadian couple on the trail. I invited them into my room to put on dry clothes and warm up. He told me he was going to hike a few minutes further up hill to try to find an accommodation but that it would be difficult because he has Parkinson's. I told him about Pedaling for Parkinson's and watched the elephant slide off his back. He is early onset, less than 50 I would guess, and two years into diagnosis. I have seldom seen a person so happy, especially in such strange circumstances. Francois, my new PD buddy.

Other than becoming very stooped with a tight back and more tired than most, I felt few of my PD symptoms. My back has straightened somewhat already as I'm back on my bike and doing exercises to pull my shoulders back. I was concerned about not cycling for three weeks, but all the exercise seems to have had a positive effect. I expect it will take just a few weeks to feel at my pre-Nepal fitness level.

Nepal was not on my bucket list, nor were any of these other things I have managed to do with PD. Once again, I believe that the message is that we can often do more than we think we can do, or more than others tell us we can do. I often feel like Indiana Jones stepping into the void, trusting support will be there. It is.
I'll be posting photos on Facebook, hopefully in the next couple of days. Thank you all for your support.