One of the primary goals of the Foundation is to create awareness and understanding about Parkinson’s disease. Unfortunately, too many individuals are in denial about the disease or fear there is a stigma associated with it and delay seeking medical help. Early diagnosis and treatment can provide years that are virtually symptom-free. 

People also need to realize that Parkinson’s is not a death sentence. Life expectancy is about the same as for people without the disease. Yes, your life will change, and no, there is not a cure for the disease – yet. With proper medication and therapy, however, symptoms can be managed and you can live a normal life. It will just be a new normal type of life.

While there is not a cure for Parkinson’s yet, there is a tremendous amount of research being devoted to the disease. New drugs are being developed and tested regularly, but this is an expensive proposition as the cost to develop a new drug can reach hundreds of millions or even a billion dollars. Thus, there is also a lot of effort going into repurposing existing drugs for other diseases to see if they can also be effective in treating Parkinson’s. Finally, there is additional encouraging research using stem cells.