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My name is Kevin Burkart. My Dad’s name is Gary. This is
a story of Parkinson Disease.
It was 7:00am on a Saturday morning. July 31, 1999. I was
a busy 28 year old professional living in the Twin Cities.
I was late to meet my friends at the boat launch on the
Mississippi River. We were putting in for a weekend of boating and camping on the
Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers.
I hadn’t spoken to my Dad much that summer. Not as much
as I would have liked. And for some reason, something was nagging at me that I needed
to call him. So, schedule aside, I phoned him. His wife Monica answered. I told
her I had to talk to Dad and tell him I loved him. She said okay, I’ll put him on
right away. When he got on, I noticed she stayed on the phone. And I knew something
wasn’t quite right.
And indeed, he cried.
He told me the day before, Friday, he’d been diagnosed with
Parkinson Disease and how did I know to call him and tell him I loved him?
And thus began our journey with Parkinson Disease. His medications,
side effects, frustrations, life style changes, depression; it all began to collide.
Our first visit to the Struthers Parkinson Center in Golden
Valley was on November 15, 2000 at 7:30am. Struthers is a National Center of Excellence
for PD treatment. We met with Dr. Parashos whom we would come to see often at PD
functions. Among numerous mobility and motor skill tests the Doctor asked Dad to
write a sentence.
Dad wrote: “Parkinson’s sucks.” Brevity is his strong suit.
At dinner that night we discussed how mad he was when he
was first diagnosed; on the cusp of a well-earned retirement and he has to deal
with this.
And we worked through it and continue to. Dad is doing great
although his health continues to deteriorate. Shortly after his diagnosis we got
involved in the Parkinson Association of Minnesota (PAM) and the National Parkinson
Foundation. And Dad became active in a local PD support group. Both have been blessings.
We attend conferences and seminars and stay current on PD developments. Heredity
is an issue we discuss. The research goes both ways on this.
I served on the PAM board from 2005 – 2007 and I’m taking
a year off to focus on this project for the benefit of PAM and the National Parkinson’s
Foundation (NPF). I would appreciate your support as I combine two passions of mine:
Skydiving and working to improve the lives and find a cure for those afflicted with
Parkinson’s Disease. I have over 600 skydives and I placed 7th at the
US Nationals last year as a member of Fast Forward, a 4-way Formation skydiving
team that won the Open Division of the Northern Plains Skydiving League.
My goal is to raise $40,000 of net proceeds. This amount
will be split between PAM and the National Parkinson Foundation.
In closing, I’d like to add a humorous story about PD because
in the end, you have to laugh at the hardships or they’ll kill you.
When on a snowmobiling trip together in Northern Michigan
Dad and I became separated. I had stopped to assist some snowmobilers that needed
help and Dad didn’t see me when he drove by. Because of the PD and the medications
he became disoriented and lost. I couldn’t find him. I returned to our hotel and
he wasn’t there. Shortly, I received a phone call. He was in the next town over
and I could tell he wasn’t in good shape. He said “Hey tiger, why don’t you bring
the trailer and pick me up?” Right away, Dad.
When I got to the home of the first responder who was helping
him I gave Dad a big hug and I could tell he was emotional and scared. We thanked
the kind people who assisted him.
The first thing Dad said in the truck on the way back was,
“I still want to go snowmobiling tomorrow.” I said okay but we needed to be more
careful to stick together. The next thing he said was, “I have a confession to make.
I’ve got four shots of Brandy in me. They thought I was cold because of the PD shaking
and I didn’t have the heart to tell them I had PD. They just kept pouring them.”
Browse this site, make a donation, buy a t-shirt, contribute
to the blog or register to volunteer.
Contact me personally at 952.233.1474 or kevin@stepstonegroup.com
if you have any questions or suggestions.
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