Hundreds of skaters expected to participate in Jan. 28-29 event
The University of Nebraska Medical Center is out to put Parkinson’s disease on ice.
On Jan. 28-29, the UNMC Ice Rink will host the first-ever UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s with skaters hitting the ice to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. on Jan. 28 and conclude at 6 p.m. on Jan. 29. It is open to the public – skaters and non-skaters alike. Skaters can skate as long as they wish. When you sign up, you will choose the block of time you want to participate. Non-skaters are encouraged to come and enjoy the festivities and show their support.
“We can handle up to 125 people on the ice at any time, but there also is plenty of room for spectators,” said Keith Swarts, director of business services. “We would love nothing better than to have a huge turnout. We’re hoping to literally get thousands of people to join us for this event.”
The skate-a-thon is the idea of an Omaha couple, Ted and Colleen Wuebben, who have hosted their own skate-a-thon the past three years by flooding their back yard. Colleen was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005 at the age of 52. Her physician, John Bertoni, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor in the UNMC Department of Neurological Sciences.
“We had more than 300 skaters participate last year and raised $10,000,” said Ted Wuebben, a financial advisor for Campbell Insurance Group and a former basketball star at Creighton University from 1972-74. “As word has gotten out, the event has been getting bigger every year. We knew that if we wanted to take the skate-a-thon to the next level that we’d have to come up with a bigger venue. The UNMC Ice Rink is just what we needed.”
A variety of items, such as T-shirts, hats, and scarves, will be sold at the event as another way to raise money, Colleen Wuebben said. The Wuebbens will enlist volunteer captains to recruit skaters for various time slots and ensure that the ice will be filled with skaters throughout the 24-hour period.
The Wuebben family will continue to serve as coordinators of the event, but UNMC and the University of Nebraska Foundation will be providing support on many different levels, Swarts said.
“This is a win-win situation for all of us,” he said. “First of all, it’s going to raise tremendous awareness of Parkinson’s disease and the incredible research going on here on our campus. In addition, we think it will make people much more aware of the wonderful ice rink we have at UNMC and how it can benefit the community.”
Proceeds from the event will go toward the clinical research of Dr. Bertoni and the basic research of Howard Gendelman, M.D., chairman of the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience. In addition, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which provides some funding to UNMC investigators, will receive some of the proceeds.
Dr. Bertoni has been instrumental in preserving and utilizing the Parkinson’s Disease Registry, the only such registry in Nebraska. He also is involved in clinical trials testing new Parkinson’s drugs. Colleen Wuebben participated in one of these trials and the drug was later approved.
Dr. Gendelman and R. Lee Mosley, Ph.D., associate professor in the department of pharmacology and experimental neuroscience, and their research teams have devoted more than a decade of work toward developing a vaccine for Parkinson’s disease.
The Wuebbens will donate the remaining proceeds to allow people to participate in the PHD Program (Parkinson’s Health Development), a local program that offers affordable exercises and activities to improve the quality of life for persons with Parkinson’s.
Swarts is hopeful that UNMC students, faculty and staff will participate in the skate-a-thon and that campus units and departments will challenge each other to see who can raise the most money.
The cost to participate is $10 per skater. Skaters and non-skaters can register online or make a pledge at www.phdomaha.org/, by e-mail at info@phdomaha.org, or by fax at 402-934-6074. Walk-in registration also will be available at the event.
Skate rental is free, and there will be no charge to skate as long as participants are raising money through pledges. All skaters must complete a waiver form releasing UNMC from liability should injury occur.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
Sidebar:
Facts about Parkinson’s disease:
· Is a motor system disorder resulting from the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells.
· The four primary symptoms of Parkinson’s are:
– tremor or trembling in hands, arms, legs, jaw and face;
– rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk;
– slowness of movement; and
– postural instability or impaired balance and coordination.
· Nearly one million Americans currently live with Parkinson’s and approximately 50,000 more are diagnosed each year.
· Affects about 3 percent of the population over the age of 65.
· Incidence will double in the next 40 years with the number of elderly people soaring.
· There is no cure for Parkinson’s, but a variety of medications provide relief from the symptoms.
Photo of UNMC Ice Rink (click on link below)