Singer Neil Diamond’s announcement this week that he has Parkinson’s disease serves as a perfect reminder of why the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s exists.
Between 7-10 million people around the world — and more than 1 million Americans — are currently living with Parkinson’s. In the U.S. alone, more people have Parkinson’s than the combined number of people with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
With the number of elderly people soaring, the incidence of Parkinson’s is expected to double over the next 40 years with 4 percent of people over age 50 impacted.
There is no cure for Parkinson’s, but there is hope. It comes in the form of research.
By contributing to the UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s, we can provide support for the cutting-edge Parkinson’s research going on at UNMC.
To make a donation to the University of Nebraska Foundation to go toward Parkinson’s research at UNMC, click here.
You also can donate to Parkinson’s Nebraska, a charitable organization committed to helping people affected by Parkinson’s disease, by going to their Eventbrite website.
The cost to participate in the skate-a-thon is $15. The registration fee includes skate rental and ice access.
“Anybody can make a donation,” said Ted Wuebben, whose family brought the skate-a-thon to the UNMC Ice Rink in 2011. “You don’t have to be a skater. Just go to either the NU Foundation or Parkinson’s Nebraska website and make a donation or stop by the ice rink. Any donation amount – big or small – is appreciated. You’ll feel great about doing it.”
In honor of Diamond, Wuebben’s daughter, Jenny Knutson, took to her Facebook page yesterday and posted the following message:
“I invite you to join us on the ice this Friday. All the Hands, touching hands, reaching out, touching me, touching you to bring awareness to this disease.
Come down and say Hello Again to the volunteers and smiling faces you met last year.
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies! It’s a 24-hour event. We got all night to set the world right.
Whether you skate for an hour, or only come for the food,
The good times never seemed so good….
Help us put Parkinson’s on ice.”