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BACK TO SCHOOL OFFER & FOOD DRIVE 250 Wyecroft Rd., Unit 15, Oakville, ON www.acornhealth.ca info@acornhealth.ca w w w . o a kv ill eb ea ve r.c o m O A KV IL LE B EA V ER Th ur sd ay , Se pt em be r 9 , 2 01 0 3 4 HealthOakville Beaver More and more young people with Parkinsons By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF On Sept. 12, a group of exercise enthusiasts from Oakville will be participat- ing in the 10th anniversary of the Parkinson Superwalk in Burlington, while cele- brating the 20th anniver- sary of the walk across Canada. For 25 years, a group of individuals with Parkinsons disease meet weekly to par- ticipate in an exercise pro- gram to lend support to one another. Since 1994, the members have used St. Judes Anglican Church as their meeting location. Phyllis Egbert had led the group for the last 14 years. She started it because her sister suffers from Parkinsons disease and as a result, at the time, there was no real exercise group deal- ing with Parkinsons in par- ticular, said Maureen Thun, group member. She got together with a few people from the commu- nity and started meeting on a regular basis and the group grew over the years to what it is today. As many as 18 and as few as six members attend class- es each Tuesday beginning in September that runs until June. Each member pays a monthly fee to cover the costs of the rental of the church. In addition, the group has the YMCA of Oakville that offers classes three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It became a bit more of a social thing for people too because what were finding is people that have Parkinsons when they do get together for meetings and or exercise is there is a social aspect of it as well that maybe some people cant get out. They like to have a little milk and cook- ies afterwards and talk with each other. Thun was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease four ago. She says doctors classify her as having young onset because of her age. She will be 46 next month. I was one of those people that kind of falls into that under-60 (group) as they call it, the young onset group. Were experiencing more and more young people being diagnosed with Parkinsons, said Thun. I think the reason the percentages are up is because the doctors are being better educated with symptoms of Parkinsons. According to the Parkinson website, Parkinsons is a neurodegen- erative disease. Movement is normally controlled by dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between the nerves in the brain. When cells that normally produce dopamine die, the symptoms of Parkinsons appear. Most common symptoms are: tremor (shaking); slow- ness in movements, muscle stiffness and problems with balance. Other symptoms may also occur such as fatigue, difficulties with speech/writ- ing, sleep disorders and changes in thinking ability. It is estimated that up to 100,000 Canadians suffer from the disease. There are other issues that are younger, for instance in my case, its more cognitive, its the sleeplessness, the disorders, things like that occurred first. Physical limitations came after. The group has started to see an increase in the num- ber of people coming out to its weekly meetings. It has seen upwards of 50-60 peo- ple attend every month. The group also brings out guest speakers. It is about to start an exercise class in Burlington that is not just aimed towards people with Parkinsons. Basically the message is to get active. Were calling it, Lengthening and Strengthening for Active Living. That way we are we are getting everyone out, said Thun. What were really trying to promote is to keep mov- ing because if you dont, your body will stop. It will freeze. Those classes will vary depending whose there and what ability they are. As of Sept. 8, online donations to the national walk have reached $954,228. The exercise group hopes to achieve a personal goal of $80,000 this year, while nationally, it is hoped that the walk will raise $3 mil- lion. Were aiming to reach our goal of $80,000 like we did last year and the goal overall as a region is to raise $3 million as a national run across Canada. Burlington is a big part of it. Its an awe- some day, said Thun. Burlington will be host- ing the Parkinson Superwalk at the Burlington Senior Centre, 2285 New Street, Central Park. Registration begins at non with the walk begin- ning at 1 p.m. Everyone is welcome. All the money raised will go towards research, education and advocacy. For more information about the walk and to make donations go to www.parkin- sonsuperwalk.com. For more information about the exercise class and other support groups go to www.parkinson.ca. Members of the public are invited to attend a free seminar entitled Prostate Cancer Prevention and What to Do If You Have It at Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) on Sept. 21. This event has been organized by Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society and Wellspring. Dr. Richard Casey, a urologist with HHS, will speak about prevention, early detection, treatment options, side effects and what is new in research. According to the Canadian Cancer Society in Ontario an estimated 24,600 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 4,300 will die of it this year. One in seven men will develop prostate cancer during his lifetime, mostly after age 70. One in 27 will die of it. Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed can- cer in Canadian men. The event will begin with displays and refresh- ments from 6:30 p.m. and the seminar commencing at 7 p.m. OTMH is located at 327 Reynolds St. To reserve a seat for this free event, please contact 905-878-2383 (Ext. 4379) or healthpromotion@hal- tonhealthcare.on.ca. If you are unable to attend the event and would like more information on this topic, speak to your physician and contact the Cancer Information Service at 1-888- 939-3333/ www.cancer.ca or Wellspring at 1-877-499- 9904/ www.wellsping.ca. Doctor speaks on prostate cancer