TEAM FOX
Program is part of the Michael J. Fox Foundation
Saturday’s event has a special meaning for this participant.
LISA LOSASSO BELL
Vindicator Correspondent
CANFIELD — Having experienced the devastation of Parkinson’s disease in her own family, Canfield resident Diana Wiesner and her daughters, Laura and Liz, have focused their energy on helping to raise money for Parkinson’s research.
Wiesner first learned of the life-altering effects of Parkinson’s as a teenager during the ’70s when her grandfather began having tremors.
“No one knew much about it then,” she said. “They called it the ‘shaking disease.’”
Then, her Aunt Ruthie was diagnosed at the age of 50 after experiencing numbness in her legs and uncontrollable arm movements. She battled Parkinson’s until the age of 75, when she died.
In 1997 Wiesner’s mother began experiencing tremors in her arm. As the disease progressed over a number of years, she found it increasingly difficult to walk and eventually lost the ability to communicate.
“She would get confused and frustrated because she knew what she wanted to express, but couldn’t,” said Wiesner.
In the final stages she remained in bed at a nursing home, unable to move or eat.
“Oh, there was much more,” said Wiesner. “But everyone who has experienced or watched while someone experiences this disease knows how tough each and every day is.”
In June 2008, Wiesner lost her mother to Parkinson’s at the age of 75.
“Does it run in the family? We don’t know, but now you can understand why I feel the drive to do my part in raising funds to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation in finding a cure and also to help our local support group.”
That local group is the Fred Childress Greater Mahoning Valley Parkinson’s Support Group, which helped both of her parents and continues to support Wesner and her father.
Wiesner has put her fund-raising efforts into Team Fox, a program of the Michael J. Fox Foundation that focuses on raising awareness and the much-needed funds for Parkinson’s research.
Team Fox members across the United States and in some international cities help turn marathons, golf tournaments, auctions and other special events into fundraisers.
According to Wiesner, Team Fox has a little more than 500 members.
“We all do things to raise money for the foundation,” she said.
How it started
In January 2007, Wiesner’s daughter Laura walked the Disney World Half Marathon. In May 2008 she made plans to walk the Cincinnati “Flying Pig Marathon,” which piqued Wiesner’s interest.
It was then that Laura came up withthe idea to create a four-person relay team to make it a little easier on everyone. She talked her sister Liz and a friend into joining her and her mom.
“On Mother’s Day, I received a cookie bouquet from Laura with a note that she had paid my entrance fee for the Disneyland Half Marathon,” said Wiesner. “It was final. We were going.”
“This was my first, and I was a little nervous,” she said. “Fear, embarrassment, frustration, depression, perseverance, achievement, always pushing forward and never giving up. … Isn’t that what everyone experiences while training for a marathon, in everyday life, and in experiencing Parkinson’s?”
In August 2008, Team Wiesner participated in the Disneyland Half Marathon for Team Fox in memory of Wiesner’s grandfather, aunt and mother.
“Between all of us, we raised well over $2,500,” she said.
In October 2008 Wiesner finished her second race, the Nationwide Better Health Half Marathon in Columbus.
This week, she’ll be gearing up to raise funds for Team Fox once again in the Capital City Half Marathon in Columbus on Saturday — in memory of her mother, Millie, who would have been 76 on May 8.
About the disease
Wiesner said she has learned that nearly 5 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. Much like Alzheimer’s, a life expectancy for patients with Parkinson’s disease can not be determined.
It is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder characterized by symptoms that typically progress from mild tremors to complete physical incapacitation.
There is no way known to prevent or accurately predict who will develop Parkinson’s disease.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson’s disease within this lifetime through an aggressively funded research agenda.
Advances in Parkinson’s research are likely to significantly contribute to the understanding of other devastating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS and Multiple Sclerosis.
For more information, visit www.teamfox.org. At the top of the page, click on “Find a member or event” and type in Diana Wiesner, Canfield, Ohio. Click on the highlighted last name to go directly to Wiesner’s personal page.
Donations can be sent to Team Fox with Wiesner’s name and event to: Team Fox, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, P.O. Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014.
The Fred Childress Greater Mahoning Valley Parkinson Support Group meets from 2 to 4 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Western Reserve United Methodist Church, 4580 Canfield Road, Canfield.
Membership dues are $10 per year per family. For more information, call (330) 758-8318.