Why does Parkinson’s need an awareness month?
April is National Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
Would I have cared a decade ago, long before a neurologist’s diagnosis made me personally aware of Parkinson’s disease?
I have to admit that back then I didn’t even notice Parkinson’s Awareness Month. None of my relatives had PD. I knew about Michael J. Fox and admired how he poured his energy and resources into seeking a cure. But Parkinson’s was something only really old people got, and nothing I needed to think about.
My callous attitude has gotten a good shaking since then.
So Parkinson’s disease is in the spotlight this month — but it has company.
A lot of other worthy causes compete for my attention this April, including Earth Day, Stress Awareness, Autism Acceptance, Donate Life, and Arab American Heritage. Oh, and my mom’s birthday is this month, too.
All of this leads me to ask, What makes Parkinson’s special enough to have such a designation? Why is awareness needed?
The reasons
My first answer is easy. Parkinson’s is the world’s fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder. It’s outpacing even Alzheimer’s disease. Some researchers are calling it a pandemic.
About 1.2 million Americans live with Parkinson’s, and 90,000 people are added to the list each year.
Because aging remains the main risk factor and the population is getting older by the day, chances of having Parkinson’s is growing for everyone. That’s a good reason to be aware.
More risks
There are other risk factors. Which brings me to my second reason for awareness.
The written diagnosis from my doctor six years ago stated I had “idiopathic” Parkinson’s disease. That strange word sent me right to Webster’s.
It means you don’t know the cause of something.
Which brings the question, How was I chosen for this fate? I wasn’t raised near a farm, so the pesticides theory won’t work for me. But, there were mosquito spray trucks regularly cruising my neighborhood as I grew up.
Was that the cause?
There were no Superfund sites detoxing TCE-tainted groundwater near my childhood home. But, were there toxins in cleaners and even plastic storage bowls in 1960s and ‘70s households that doomed me to a neurological disease 40 years later?
We still have a lot of puzzle pieces to find.
It’s expensive
My final reason more awareness is needed is that in the United States, the economic cost of Parkinson’s reached a record $82 billion in 2024, surpassing earlier projections by more than 10 years, according to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
The newly released report found that more than two-thirds of that amount came from nonmedical costs, including lost income, disability expenses and the work of unpaid care partners.
That’s a staggering cost that will only grow. We all pay for it in part, but the costs weigh especially heavily on families dealing with PD.
So when you look over the charitable giving landscape and see hundreds of organizations and causes that are craving your support, please consider Parkinson’s research.
I created a list of groups that you could help out, including some of my favorites that promote exercise and being outdoors.
An advocate for the disabled once stated, “We are all temporarily able-bodied.” So be aware. The next diagnosis might be you or someone you love.
And lest I forget, happy birthday, Mom! 🙂
