Middle Georgia comes together to provide resources for those battling Parkinson’s disease

Thank you, Middle Georgia, for strengthening the hands of those of us fighting Parkinson’s disease.

Worldwide, April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and April 11 is World Parkinson’s Day. In Middle Georgia, we observe PD Awareness Month by showcasing new assistance programs, new civic support organizations and new sources of information for the growing number of Parkinson’s sufferers.

Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest growing neurodegenerative condition. Incidence is projected to double by 2040, overtaking Alzheimer’s as the leading brain disorder.

Georgia is expected to be especially hard hit due to our rural predominance and heavy use of insecticides and pesticides. Our growing population of military retirees bring with them service exposure to petrochemical compounds (like Agent Orange) linked to PD.

The Parkinson’s Foundation estimates, quite conservatively, that Georgia has 20,600 cases of PD, 500 in Middle Georgia and 200-300 in counties touching Macon-Bibb County.

Parkinson’s stems from death of nerve cells in the midbrain that produce dopamine and from deposition of an abnormal protein called alpha-synuclein in many brain regions.

Dopamine chemical helps control movements, such as walking, and can affect many other internal systems, including urinary, gastrointestinal and equilibrium/balance.

“The disease has multiple causes including environmental hazards — air pollution, some industrial solvents and particular pesticides,” write recognized Parkinson’s experts Drs. Ray Dorsey, Todd Sherer, Bastiaan R. Bloem and Michael Okun in their authoritative recent book “Ending Parkinson’s: A Prescription for Change.”

“Up to 40% of people with Parkinson’s will eventually require nursing home care, and the caregiving burden is immense. Life expectancy is reduced modestly and many die from falls or pneumonia.”

The past year has seen Middle Georgia add a ground-breaking PD exercise and support program (PD Fit) at Middle Georgia State University, kicked off with a grant by the Peyton Anderson Foundation. Long-time Anderson leader Ed Sell spearheaded the $40,000 grant just prior to his death from PD complications.

PD Fit has its own Facebook page: PDFit Macon, Ga | Facebook

Also, the Macon-based Me Over PD Foundation has launched its sharable website to guide newly diagnosed Parkinson’s sufferers. The foundation’s Parkinson’s Pro-Activities free e-newsletter has topped 455 subscribers across North America.

Dean Jean Sumner and the Mercer University School of Medicine continued their strong support of Parkinson’s education.

Dr. Sumner worked with the Anderson and MOPD foundations in 2019 to distribute 2,000 copies of the acclaimed book “Counterpunch: Duking It Out With Parkinson’s” to 375+ frontline medical offices throughout Georgia. Mercer is now aiding the distribution of Middle Georgia PD Resource cards to area doctor’s offices.

Gil Thelen, retired editor, publisher and president of The Tampa Tribune, is President of the Me Over PD Foundation in Macon. Contact him at gthelen1@icloud.com and 813-787-3886 for more information on any of the Me Over PD programs.