My Parkinson Story is a weekly column featuring member of our community, sharing their stories with PD. We are interested in sharing a wide array of experiences, including yours! PD looks different in everyone, and affects everyone differently, including friends and family of those with PD. If you’d like to share your story on our blog, please email us.
I joined PSW as a board member and chair of the grants committee in 2018. I am the associate nursing program administrator at Sinclair Community College and a graduate of the Edmond J. Safra Visiting Nurse Faculty Program sponsored by the Parkinson’s Foundation. I have worked with many patients who have PD and believe my father may have had PD many years ago. Vicki Gaffney, a colleague of mine at Sinclair, introduced me to her husband, Chris Gaffney (PSW's Executive Director) and the rest is history! Now, Chris and I are working on a very exciting project for 2022: talking to the Michigan Public Health Institute and Parkinson’s Foundation to apply for a grant that would help us analyze PSW by looking at our organization and the services provided to individuals with PD in our region. This grant would allow us to identify communities that may not have programs for people with PD and offer start-up funding.