Day 7: Register for the Parkinson's Walk
I'm the youngest of 3 girls. My dad was older (40) when I was born, so he was already a certified softy by the time I came around. Those two things combined are the perfect recipe for creating a daddy's girl, and that is me, through and through. I have vivid memories of being 5 years old and my dad playing hookey from work for a few hours, the two of us heading back home to watch cartoons and eat grape pop tarts after dropping my sister off at school. Even when I was going through my totally unnecessary rebellious phase as a teenager (I had freedoms that you wouldn't believe, I have no idea what I was rebelling against, smh), he never got angry, he never pressed me. Even after doing the most ridiculous shit, he would always remind me, you know I love you.
I've always admired my father for his quiet nature and his incredible work ethic. He owned his own business from the time that I was 6 years old. I would often go to work with him and I loved to see how much his employees really loved him. And not in that brown nosing way that you're friendly with you boss because you have to be, but because they genuinely enjoyed interacting with him. He would spend a good majority of his days out of his office, interacting with his employees, literally hours spent walking the grounds of his large car dealership every day.
But as the years passed, he would get a little worn out and didn't walk around as much. He complained on different aches and pains and generally wasn't feeling himself. Year after year, doctors tested and misdiagnosed him. By this time, I was already away at college, but I saw my quiet, vibrant father begin to change. Our daily phone conversations would sometimes end abruptly, with him quickly passing the phone to my mom after stumbling over a word or two. Finally, he saw a doctor who specialized in neurodegenerative diseases and we got our answer. My dad had Parkinson's. When we found out, I was scared. I didn't know much about the disease, how it would affect my dad, and if it was something I needed to worry about facing when I got older. It's been 5 years since that initial diagnosis and at least some of my fears have subsided. With a good regiment of daily medication, regular exercise, and his support group, my dad is doing much better.
Because I'll always be that daddy's girl at heart, I've been trying really hard to find a place to volunteer with Parkinson's patients or one of the larger organizations for research. I finally came across an event called Moving Day. It's a 2.5 mile walk that raises money to support the National Parkinson Foundation. I immediately wanted to participate. Then I wanted to volunteer. Then I decided that I wanted to register a team and try to raise some money. I don't have a crazy high fundraising goal, but I'm operating under the idea that every little bit helps. But if I reach my goal and some part of that $250 goes to help find a cure for my dad or any other the other 1 million people in America living with Parkinson's, then it's worth it to me. My biggest fear is that I wont be able to meet my goal. I know I'll be disappointed, but more than that, I'll feel like I'm somehow letting my dad down. But I know that whether I blow my goal out of the water, or only raise $100, I know my dad will be proud and I know he loves me, just like always.
If you want to check out my team page, feel free!
No comments:
Post a Comment