If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, you’re not alone.
That’s the message that Phillip Konrad and Marilyn Vinson, the facilitator and co-facilitator of the 100 Mile House Parkinson’s Support Group, want to spread this month. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month and this year’s theme is More Than A Tremor, seeking to educate more people on the effects of the disease.
Both Konrad and Vinson live with Parkinson’s every day. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative brain disorder with no known cure that affects at least 17,500 people across B.C. and over 100,000 across Canada. The disease causes dopamine-producing cells to die off, which the body uses as a neurotransmitter. Without it, patients suffer from shaking but also fatigue, slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, impaired balance, speech impediments and more.
Because there is no known cure, doctors focus on treating and mitigating the symptoms of Parkinson’s through medication and the promotion of exercise, the best ways to manage symptoms. Exercise and staying active have been key for Konrad who still regularly ice fishes, referees baseball games and paints houses.
“Don’t give into it (I say), there’s no point,” Konrad said.
Vinson’s Parkinson’s diagnosis was made recently and she said she’s still learning about the disease herself. A resident of 100 Mile House for over 40 years, in the last few years she began to have tremors and trouble using one of her legs and arms.
After going to three different doctors she was finally told she had Parkinson’s and given medicine to manage it. Now her tremors are mostly just mild vibrations, though she still has occasional trouble using her legs and short-term memory loss.
“I was afraid (initially) like ‘oh my god, what’s going to happen to me?’ I didn’t know a lot about Parkinson’s other than people with Parkinson’s are shaky,” Vinson said. “I knew about the Parkinson’s Superwalk that happens in September and I heard Phil on the radio so I wrote down his phone number and gave him a call.”
Konrad helped found the support group years ago with a hunting buddy, who also had Parkinson’s. Up until then, he had been attending a group in Kamloops, where his cousin was a member, so Konrad knew how to contact Parkinson’s B.C. to get the group up and running. For the last several years, barring during the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve met every few months at the 100 Mile District General Hospital.
Vinson became the group’s new co-facilitator because she wanted to volunteer with the group and help keep it going. She said the support group is an important way to share information and experiences with people who are in the same boat as she is.
“I found being around people who really get what you’re going through is very helpful and comforting. It’s a good way to learn things so I think that’s huge,” Vinson said. “I have a little bit of experience with groups, like the Canadian Council of the Blind, and now I’m changing my focus. I need to participate in something because like Phil said if you do nothing then that’s not ok.”
Anyone looking to join the support group can contact Konrad at 250-395-3925 or Vinson at 250-395-4070.