World Parkinson’s Disease Day marks the birthday of Dr. J Parkinson. On this day there are efforts made to increase the public awareness of this terrible disease, as well as all the good works put forth by the worlds organizations dedicated to eradicating this disease. There are activities to promote this the entire world over, and the opportunity to participate is open to any and all who want to help in this effort.
One of the popular ways of supporting the awareness of this disease is participating in marathons in cities throughout the world. The number of countries that are participating in this expand every year, including Uruguay, Mexico, Bolivia, Fulvio Captinio, the USA, and an increasing number with every passing year.
Dr. Parkinson first described the disease in “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy”, he described a pattern of lessened muscular power, involuntary tremulous motion, even if these are supported. There is at tendency to bend the body forwards, and to involuntarily switch from a walking to a running pace, while the sense and intellect deteriorate.
One of the prominent symbols of Parkinson’s disease is the red tulip, and this was established at the 9th World Parkinson’s disease Day at the Luxembourg Conference. The story of the Red Tulip can be tied back to J.W.S. Van der Wereld, a Dutch Horticulturalist who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. He had successfully generated a Red and White Tulip, and named it in honor of the man who named his medical condition. On the tail of this, the Tulip received the Award of Merit, granted by the Royal Horticultural Society in London, and then was granted the Royal General Bulb Growers, Trial Garden Award.
Many people do not understand what Parkinson’s is, or are unaware of how to identify it. In the interest of promoting awareness of this disease, a simplified description follows. It is a disorder that results in the degeneration of the central nervous system, and directly impacts those that nerves that handle motor functions for the body as a whole. As the disease advances, it becomes apparent from the slowness of their body, and the increasing stiffness of their limbs that there is a developing problem. Their limbs will begin to shake uncontrollably as it gets further on, and eventually an entire scope of additional symptoms will develop as more and more motor functions are impacted. Sufferers are often tired, and memory problems become more apparent as time goes on.
What can you do to help out on this important day? As mentioned above there are numerous marathons and walk-a-thons that take place to help generate donations to support the ongoing research into this condition. You can work together with your friends and family to help organize refreshment stands or bake sales to produce more funds to donate to research groups.
You can also organize larger events at your local parks, or even with your local schools. You could work together with them to create a day where there are educational courses about the disease, and musical performances to generate money for donations. Whatever you do, remember that this day is dedicated to an open awareness of this disease, and to help support those groups and organizations that are intent on eradicating or controlling this illness. So on World Parkinson’s Disease Day, make sure you talk to those in your life about it, and encourage them to join the fight!
