When Debbie Poole attended her first Parkinson support meeting in Burnaby last summer, her symptoms had worsened.
It had been six years since she had been diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative disease, which originally started with a tremor in her right hand.
“It didn’t sink in at that point,” Poole, 62, told the NOW.
By June 2015, walking had become so difficult that the now-retired librarian had to use a wheelchair. Her voice, meanwhile, was soft. Sometimes she was unable to verbally communicate her needs to family members, according to her brother Don Chunn.
Fast-forward a year later and the situation looks a lot different. Poole no longer relies on a wheelchair and uses a walker instead, thanks to mobility classes she’s attended through the Confederation Seniors Association’s Parkinson’s Support Group (the folks who started the SuperWalk in Burnaby five years ago). She’s also become more aware of her quiet demeanor through singing. At the end of each session, the group breaks out into song to exercise the vocal chords.
On Sept. 12, she’ll be taking part in the SuperWalk for the second year in a row, walking some 400 metres around the track at Confederation Park.
“It’s not the end of the world if you have Parkinson’s,” said Poole, adding she’s still able to do everyday tasks like cooking and knitting, and she doesn’t feel as alone because she’s been able to talk to people who are going through similar experiences. “Don’t just sit at home. Learn about it, get out and do the things you like to do.”
Her reasons for participating in the walk are two-fold. She said because the SuperWalk is the Parkinson Society of B.C.'s biggest fundraiser of the year, every dollar counts. It’s also a good opportunity to educate people about Parkinson’s disease and come together as a group.
Last year, $6,118 was raised during the Burnaby SuperWalk, up $1,500 from the year before, according to the society’s Alicia Wrobel, the marketing, communications and events manager. Across the country, the hope is to raise $440,000 this year.
“We don’t get any money from government. We rely entirely on donations,” she said, adding SuperWalk registration has been increasing over the years.
Wrobel noted 13,300 British Columbians have Parkinson’s disease and that number will rise in the future as the baby boomer population ages.
“Incidents of Parkinson’s is supposed to increase 65 per cent by 2031 across Canada,” she said, adding attending support groups, taking medication and getting exercise alleviate depression and symptoms.
Burnaby’s SuperWalk is on Sept. 12 at 4585 Albert St. Registration starts at 1:30 p.m., and the walk begins at 2 p.m. Mayor Derek Corrigan will be on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony. For more information, call Linda at 604-298-2983.
