WOW, WOW, WOW! What a weekend! Our Parkinson's non-profit, the 5KforJK, had our 4th annual walking event this past weekend (September 15, 2024) in Columbus, OH. Erika came from Florida (for the 3rd time) and Jill came to Ohio for her 1st 5KforJK (and her first time to Ohio) all the way from Washington State! Straight from Erika and Jill - "community is everything...meeting other PD people is life changing."
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(1:12) Why Erika and Jill came to Ohio
(1:51) Having a Parkinson's community is a game changer
(3:48) 5KforJK event results and BIG news
(6:12) Getting involved in PD exercise or communities
(7:48) What it feels like to connect to a PD community
(9:56) Relief in talking about PD with PD people
(11:12) The impact of taking the 1st step - reaching out to others
(12:25) A PD community can teach you about other symptoms and solutions
(15:35) The YOPD Sorority



If you are interested to learn more or donate to the 5KforJK Parkinson's nonprofit, visit: https://5kforjk.org/

This year, we raised almost $140K, but our work is never complete. Through the 5KforJK, we want to provide the next S.T.E.P. for people living with Parkinson's:

S. support through community
T. tools using the first step wish kit
E. exercise through the PDNextSteps program
P. podcast - "The Secret Life of Parkinson's"

We already expanded our efforts outside of Ohio through the kit, podcast and our growing community. Now we want to expand Melissa's PDNextSteps program! More to come!