One of the things I’ve learned during Parkinson’s Awareness Month is just how little I was actually aware of the disease.

Like many, I first learned about Parkinson’s as a child when Michael J. Fox revealed to world he had the disease. However, as I grew up, I never learned much else about the condition, and I never met anyone who actually had it.

This week, though, changed all that.

On Monday, I had the pleasure of meeting Donna Korzun, a Dowagiac woman who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s last year. She had reached out to me last week, asking if we were interested in doing a story about the disease this month.

During the course of our two-hour conversation, Korzun mentioned that if she even helped one person with the article, then it was worth it for her to share her story with me.

While I don’t know how our readers have reacted to the story, I want to tell her that her story made an impact on me. I now see first hand the effects that disease has on the lives of the people living with it, and on their friends and family.

While I can’t say I’ve become an expert on the subject, talking to her gave me new insight into Parkinson’s, which I’ve since shared with others I care about. More importantly, it inspired to me learn even more about the condition, and about what is being done to improve the quality of lives of people living with it.

Thank you, Ms. Korzun, for inviting me into your home and sharing your story with the community. I know it wasn’t easy for you, but the courage and strength it must have taken is inspiring.

 

Ted Yoakum is the community editor for the Dowagiac Daily News. Call him at (269) 588-1040. Email him at ted.yoakum@leaderpub.com)