Dreaming for the Cure

More than six million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease -- a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder characterized by symptoms that typically progress from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation. There are currently no known ways to prevent or accurately predict who will develop Parkinson's disease, but scientists believe that, of all the brain disorders, Parkinson's is the one closest to a cure.
We at Need4Sleep Radio are asking for your support in our race to finish PD. Proceeds from sales of our Tshirts will go to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. We're inviting you to make a difference in the lives of those living with Parkinson's disease. You can play a part in the effort to eradicate this debilitating disease.

Living with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease

Seeing many specialists and receiving the same diagnosis has been a grueling challenge for me at the age of 44. Having Parkinson’s Disease is extremely difficult. I have tried to hide this disease from many people. However, someone close to my heart said to me “Maybe you have this disease because you are the one who is going to make a difference.” I have a small number of friends and family who know about my diagnosis. But it is time to come out and let everyone know I have Parkinson’s Disease.
As a sleep technologist I have taken care of many patients with this disease. However I never thought one day it would be my disease.
The nighttimes are especially difficult. Symptoms which have occurred to me personally are as follows:

Night cramps in legs and back
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Difficulty moving around or getting out of bed
Speaking more quietly
Leg movements while asleep
Sleep attacks

These are just some of the things which I can personally describe. I can also say that without a doubt this is the most difficult thing I have ever had to endure. With the support of friends, colleagues and family, together we can make a difference and soon this will be no ones' disease! Help by purchasing the Dreaming for the Cure T shirts !
Reggie Binns, RPSGT
Need4sleepradio, LLC

In September of 2006, I was introduced into the field of sleep medicine. As a sleep tech, I was informed of Parkinson’s Disease by studying REM Behavior Disorder in school and on the job. My professor would play video recordings of patients afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease having episodes of REM Behavior Disorder during their sleep studies, as well as relating stories of such patients and his experiences with them, throughout his career as a registered sleep technologist. I learned very little about the disease itself, other than it was a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system, impaired normal sleep patterns and behaviors, immobilized sufferers and caused involuntary tremors throughout the body, and typically affected persons of the geriatric population. The disease, though present in my line of occupation, was far removed from me personally, and therefore just a secondary concern of the world, laying dormant in the back of my mind and only awakening during the brief comments by acquaintances when the acronym RBD or the name Michael J. Fox, was uttered.

My ignorance of the disease and the toll it takes on its sufferers remained until in October of 2007, when a dear friend of mine revealed to me he had “young onset” Parkinson’s Disease, bringing the disease close to my heart and opening my eyes to the heartbreaking reality of its affects on the human body and brain. I began to research the disease to better understand what my friend was currently experiencing, and what he will be facing in the future. What I found brought tears to my eyes. The symptoms of the disease ranged from motor disturbances like tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia and/or akinesia (slow or absent movement), speech impairments, drooling, fatigue, micrographia (small, cramped handwriting), and impaired fine and gross motor function, to non-motor disturbances like sleep disturbances, REM Behavior Disorder, weight loss, constipation, urinary incontinence, confusion, destructive Obsessive-Compulsive habits (gambling, substance abuse, over-eating, etc), dizziness, depression, and dementia.

Though there are treatments to aid in controlling the intensity of the symptoms, there is currently no cure. Please help me and the millions of others affected by Parkinson’s Disease, both sufferers and their loved ones, be triumphant in the battle against the disease by purchasing the “Dreaming for the Cure” T-shirts. The proceeds from the T-shirt sales will be donated to help fund Parkinson’s research. Dreaming for the cure- help me make that dream come true.

Mary Wonch
Need4sleepradio.com