April is Parkinson's Awareness Month

April is Parkinson's Awareness Month Jim Smerdon is one of five community members featured in our Parkinson's Awareness Month campaign called This is Parkinson's disease. The campaign was inspired by Norwegian photographer/videographer Anders Leines' photo exhibit which showcased the real-life faces and stories of those diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD). Similarly, our campaign will aim to reshape the public's perception of Parkinson's disease (PD). One of the first illustrations of PD was published in 1886, and since then, it has been widely understood as a disease that only affects the senior population, primarily characterized by shaking. The truth is that Parkinson's doesn't discriminate based on age, gender, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. It affects people from all walks of life, and at Parkinson Society British Columbia (PSBC), we are firm believers that the diversity of our community strengthens us. We're in this together. Jim is one of 12,500 British Columbians living with PD. One of the first symptoms he noticed was an involuntary twitch in his left index finger. Initially he had attributed it to nerve damage from grabbing the clutch on one of his long motorcycle rides. After several visits to the Pacific Parkinson's Research Centre (PPRC) at the University of British Columbia, he received his diagnosis at the age of 33. Having little knowledge of the way that Parkinson's progressed, or treatment options, Jim was nervous. With the support of his family, including his 4 siblings, wife Deana and dog Parker, he pressed on. In 2014, he underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery to help manage his symptoms. Pleased with the results, he said, on occasion, he has forgotten to take his medication, but because it was such a low dose, it made little difference! Because of the DBS surgery, he has been able to continue working full-time and make long-term travel plans. Now 10 years after his initial diagnosis, he says, "I realized that I did not want the disease to define who I was. I could have slumped into a corner and disappeared and no one would have blamed me. But, I also found that the more visible I am and the more things I can do, the longer and better my life is. This is a belief and mantra I have embraced." Join us this April in promoting Parkinson's Awareness Month to your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours and acquaintances. Find out more about the This is Parkinson's disease campaign by visiting www.parkinson.bc.ca. Together, we can make a difference.