Monday, December 7, 2009

Man walks for Parkinson's awareness

By AnneMarie Knepper, Albany Democrat-Herald

Lee Grimm said he was a metal worker for 25 years. A diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease made that kind of work impossible, so he decided to take a walk.

Grimm said he can’t work anymore and wanted to do something constructive with his time, so he is walking to help raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

That was a year and a half ago. Grimm, 45, and his boxer, Rocky, 4, average 10 miles a day, depending on Grimm’s Parkinson’s.

Rocky, a service dog, helps steady him, especially when he needs to get up from bending or kneeling.

“I can’t live without him,” Grimm said of his canine companion.

The duo began their journey in Laramie, Wyo.

Grimm said his address book is as thick as a New York phone book, with names of the many friends he met during his quarter century of metal working. He is finally taking them up on offers to stop by if he’s ever in the area.

The website couchsurfing.com is another great way to find shelter, Grimm said, although he prefers to sleep outdoors.

The trekker has little baggage. He tows 200 pounds of supplies including two weeks of food, water and kibble, a laptop computer and some camping equipment, in a modified bike trailer.

Grimm’s next stop is Eugene and he would like to be in San Francisco by Christmas. Portland, Maine, is his ultimate destination — by way of Oklahoma.

He said the people he has met along the way have been generous, “Old hippies have been picking me up.” But he has also had 63 encounters with law enforcement, most recently after pitching a tent in Crawfordsville.

1 comment:

  1. My dad was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.his symptoms were shuffling of feet,slurred speech,degradation of hand writing, horrible driving skills, right arm held at 46 degree angle, things were tough for me, but now he finally free from the disease with the help of total cure from ULTIMATE LIFE CLINIC, he now walks properly and all symptoms has reversed, he was having trouble with balance especially at night, getting into the shower and exiting it is difficult,getting into bed is also another thing he finds impossible.we had to find a better solution for his condition which really helped him a lot,the biggest helped we had was ultimate life clinic they walked us through the proper steps,i recommended this www.ultimatelifeclinic.com to anyone who also needs help.

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