Coming to grips with Parkinson ’s disease

There is no one symptom, no one level of symptoms, no one treatment for Parkinsons disease. The disease is as varied and unique as the persons diagnosed with it.

To promote education about Parkinsons disease (PD) and ongoing research into the disease, the Parkinsons Disease Foundation has declared April as Parkinsons Awareness Month.

Two Bureau County men are telling their stories of being diagnosed with PD, their treatments, and their encouragement to other families facing the disease.

Looking back on to nearly 10 years ago, Gerrit Stevenson of Princeton said he lost his sense of smell around 2006-07 but never once thought it could have anything to do with an early onset of Parkinsons disease. But hes since learned the loss of the sense of smell is often, but not always, associated with persons developing PD.

The tremors in Stevensons hands didnt begin until several years after he lost his sense of smell. By 2009, the occasional shaking of his hand became more frequent, and in February 2010, he went to the Mayo Clinic. But because the disease was in its earliest stages, a diagnosis wasnt able to be made at that time. He continued seeking answers and went to Rush Memorial Hospital in Chicago, where the PD diagnosis was made.

Life has its challenges with PD, Stevenson said. He has started taking medication to control the tremors, but there are so many different types of medications the key is finding the right one to work for you, he said.

A retired truck driver of more than 40 years, Stevenson said he is doing some finishing work in his basement, but its hard to hold the tape measure still. He has to be extra careful so he doesnt trip and to make sure he holds on to something. Hes always loved to dance and has a group of friends with whom hes danced for several years in Ladd. He still goes dancing with his friends, and on those times when he feels like just watching, his friends see to it that he still gets out on the dance floor, he said.

The most important thing a person with PD can do is to exercise, and do a lot of it, Stevenson said. He tries to exercise five hours a day, including walking five or six miles each day, swimming and doing strengthen training and toning. And, of course, he enjoys his line dancing.

In some ways, the biggest challenge that he sees with Parkinsons disease is first of all the general lack of knowledge and understanding of the disease, Stevenson said. At times, hes struggled with being ashamed of having the disease, and hes not wanted others to know.

But I figure that if I can help someone else recognize the symptoms, maybe raise more awareness to the disease and the needed research, if I can make a difference for someone in the future, then thats what I want to do, Stevenson said.

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Coming to grips with Parkinson ’s disease