Our hero this week is Bridget who is running in the Melbourne Marathon Festival on Sunday to support Shake It Up and raise funds for Parkinson’s research. Having a close family member diagnosed with Parkinson’s has driven her passion to make a difference.

Bridget has been blown away by the generosity and support she has received from family, friends, and colleagues.  The fundraising experience has been so rewarding, not only has Bridget surpassed her original goal, but she has also been able to raise awareness of Parkinson’s through the process.

What Drives Your Commitment to find a cure for Parkinson’s?

I have a close family member who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease a couple of years ago. Seeing someone close to me go through the effects of this disease first hand really motivates me to do what I can to contribute to finding a cure. I believe by understanding more about Parkinson’s we will be able to give people a better quality of life, and to one day find a cure.

I also believe that when we learn more about Parkinson’s Disease this will not only help us expand our knowledge and understanding of Parkinson’s but also other movement disorders.

Why Shake It Up Australia?

I chose Shake It Up Australia as it’s main priority is research towards better treatments, which will allow people with this disease to have a better quality of life. The ultimate goal of Shake It Up is to find a cure, and we can only do this by expanding our knowledge of Parkinson’s Disease. I wanted to do what I can to contribute to this goal.

Tell us what you are doing to Shake Things Up?

I’m participating in the Melbourne Marathon 10 km run on Sunday 15th October 2017 to Shake Things Up. I have completely smashed my fundraising target and I have raised so much awareness along the way. I have been blown away by all the generosity and support. It’s just a small contribution to a great cause like Parkinson’s research.

Greatest Reward?

The greatest reward for me is having colleagues and friends approach me with questions about Parkinson’s Disease. I have been able to be able to give them some more understanding of the disease, how it affects people and why more research into Parkinson’s Disease is important.

I have also had people share with me stories of their loved ones who have Parkinson’s. This has been rewarding as well because it has shown me how widespread Parkinson’s Disease is, and it has shown me that Parkinson’s is a silent disease. People don’t tend to talk about and I think that’s because it’s a slowly progressing disease. It’s just proven to me the importance of raising awareness about Parkinson’s Disease.

Best advice for people looking to Shake It Up?

If you’re looking to Shake It Up my advice is to go all out! Set a high target and have confidence in yourself to meet the target, do something unexpected when you reach your goal (like dye your hair!), and most definitively share share share everything you can about your fundraising efforts. I would say the most important thing is to make it fun and interesting for people, and always be open to answering questions people may have about Parkinson’s Disease.