April 19-25 marks National Volunteer Week in 2020. Parkinson Society British Columbia (PSBC) relies on the dedication and support of volunteers across the province, who help facilitate our support groups, organize Parkinson SuperWalk in their communities, and put on...
PJ and Kim Burns have a saying that they hold close: “No guilt, no shame, and no excuses.” When Kim’s husband, PJ, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2015, at age 52, they turned to Parkinson Society BC (PSBC) for information and resources....
Diagnosis: What the ???? I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1993 at the Movement Disorders Clinic at UBC. I was 46, and had two little girls (Megan and Kathleen), a dog (Raven), and my husband (Allan). First line of defense: shoot the messenger “There was no...
In the spring of 2002, Peggy Mutch became a second-generation person with Parkinson’s (PwP), her mother being the first in the family. Her friends and family have acted as a great support system from the point of diagnosis and throughout her journey. She has also...
Edith Elliott has been an integral supporter of Parkinson Society BC (PSBC) for almost a decade. Her Parkinson’s journey began in 2004 when her husband, Morris, was diagnosed with the disease. Recalling that time, Edith says “we had no idea what this disease was or...
In March 2017, Lois Leslie and Paul Gully set out to cycle across three continents to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson’s disease, in honour of their dear friend, Marg de Grace. This trip was intended to complete a circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle, begun...
You might recognize Jim Smerdon from Parkinson Society BC’s (PSBC) 2016 Awareness Campaign, This is Parkinson’s disease. If you have been to Parkinson SuperWalk in Vancouver, you might remember his family’s team, Show me the Smerdons, which was consistently...
The following is a brief interview with a community member with Parkinson's disease named Angela Wensley (pictured above). She agreed to participate as part of Parkinson Society BC's awareness efforts in 2018. 1. You track your Parkinson’s disease (PD) symptom...
Larry Gifford is the Senior Programming Director at Corus Entertainment in Vancouver and host of The Radio Stuff podcast. He is 46 years old, with an 8 year old son and a wife of 19 years. In August of last year, he was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's...
