Moving Day-Chicago 2014/ The Chairman Speaks!
Moving Day- Chicago 2014 is upon us. It happens on Sunday, October 19 in Lincoln Park. Yikes...that's only 6 days from now.
If you're not familiar with Moving Day, it's the National Parkinson's Foundation annual walk/run to raise money. They have these family friendly events all over the country. Sunday will be Chicago's turn.
This years chairperson is Cindi Redman. With only a week to go, Cindi is very busy but she still found the time to answer some questions.
1. It's a big step from raising money in your grandmother's name to chairing an event. What made you decide to do this? I tend to be that person at the table who raises their hand to volunteer when something needs to be done. Parkinson's Disease is something I have a connection to and feel strongly about so I was really happy to be about to help.
2. I'm guessing the chairmanship takes up a lot of your time. How is your family dealing with this? The chairmanship does take up a lot of time but it's something I'm passionate about so it's time well spent. Given that this is my 3rd year of involvement, my husband is resigned to the fact that the laundry will be clean but it'll be in a pile on the chair. My daughter is a teenager so she really doesn't care and probably appreciates that this is taking my eye off of her. My son is seven so he just persists in whatever he wants me to do until I give in. It's all good.
3. What are you going to take away from this job? I feel a huge sense of accomplishment that hopefully we will have raised $1,000,000 in the three years we've been producing Moving Day Chicago. I've met some amazing people that will remain a part of my life going forward and will inspire me to do better every day.
4. Tomorrow, the readers will learn about the relationship with your Grandmother. Anything else you want to add? I think you get a pretty good feeling about the kind of person my Grandmother was from my story. What probably doesn't come across as well is the impact Parkinson's had on my mom and an amazing caregiver she was to my Grandmother.When a serious illness is in play, we all focus on the patient, as we should. But very often the family caregiver is overlooked and those are some of the most selfless people you'll ever meet. They deserve our support and recognition, too.
5. Final thoughts. What do you want to tell people about Moving Day, including a place to donate to your team (hint,hint)? Moving Day is a truly amazing event. We get lots of families to come out and see they're not alone in what they're going through. We have different kinds of services and products on hand so folks can learn a new thing or two. There's nothing like a walk along our beautiful lake to help get rid of whatever stresses you might have. There are complimentary massages and refreshments, too. But I think Moving Day gives people hope...hope there will be a cure. Hope there will be better treatments. Hope that with increased public awareness will come support and acceptance. For more information go please go to Moving Day Chicago National Parkinson's Foundation. And feel free to donate to Team Redman.
Thanks again to Cindi for the interview. Tomorrow you'll learn about her family connection with Parkinson's. I'll also have a story about sleep deprivation, an important issue for people with PD. Over the weekend, I have some Parkinson's music which will lead us into Sunday's Moving Day event.
Moving Day is the most important yearly event for our PD community. As Cindi said, it's not only a chance to raise money and awareness but also an opportunity to bond with others in the same situation. So that's my motivation to give you a week of Parkinson's stories. Come on back and read them.
See ya tomorrow.