In recognition of the month of April as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, the Golden Belt Parkinson’s Disease Support Group will meet at Heartland Farm, west of Great Bend, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7.
The event is free and open to patients, caregivers, family, friends and anyone else interested in learning about Parkinson’s.
This will be the first time the group has met in several months. Due to the major physical changes at St. Rose Health Center, the classroom area is no longer available for meetings.
J. Basil Dannebohm will serve as the new coordinator for the support group. In the summer of 2012, Dannebohm was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease. Since that time, he has been an advocate for Parkinson’s Disease research, treatment and awareness. In 2015, he briefly served in the Kansas House of Representatives. Though he resigned due to health complications, he was the first legislator in Kansas history to serve with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease.
In 2005, an estimated 5,500 Kansans suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. By 2012, that number increased to an estimated 9,000.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects nearly one million people in the US. Although promising research is being conducted, there is currently no cure for or definitive cause.