It may only be May, but Kathy Rupnow is already looking ahead to September as she plans for this year’s Parkinson SuperWalk.
For the second year in a row, Rupnow is serving as the co-ordinator for the Barrie SuperWalk, which is scheduled for Sept. 10.
The Midhurst resident has been involved in fundraising events for Parkinson Canada for several years. She got involved after her son, Nathan, was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease at the age of 38.
Shortly after his diagnosis, Rupnow said her son made the decision to begin raising money for Parkinson's causes. She didn’t hesitate to join him, and together — along with the help of the rest of their family — estimates they have raised between $10,000 and $15,000 through a variety of fundraising initiatives for both Parkinson Canada and the Parkinson’s Resource Centre in Toronto.
“It’s a shock that you’re faced with a chronic disease, especially at that age,” she says.
Despite the shock, Rupnow and her family got to work educating themselves, and finding ways they could help, and eventually as a group, walked more than 11,000 kilometres that first year.
“They all counted their kilometres and over the period of time, we walked all the way across Canada and halfway back basically by all of the kilometres everybody put in,” she says.
The entire family has been participating in the SuperWalk since Nathan was diagnosed.
“When he was first diagnosed, one of the things we did was reach out to Parkinson Canada and they were very helpful. For me, as a mother, I was able to talk to the counsellor there and that was helpful for me to deal with all of it," she says.
Her son and his wife also utilized the organization’s services, Rupnow adds, so being able to give back to an organization that has already done so much for her family was a no-brainer.
“When he came back from that, he said it was a big relief in a way just to learn what you’re up against. It’s a progressive disease and it’s going to get worse, but there could be a long period of time before you get to that stage. It was a good opportunity to learn about all of the things he could do for himself as well," she says.
Mother and son have also taken over the community desk at Georgian Mall where they’d set up and collect what she called Toonies for Tremors, and in addition to organizing the local SuperWalk, Rupnow has become an ambassador for Parkinson Canada.
“They fund research in Canada and research is ultimately the answer, which is important to us,” she says. “For both of us, it’s (about) doing something about it. You get involved because there is a community there… and being part of the community is important. (We) just doing something, hopefully, (will) better your chances of there being a cure at some point — or advancements in treatment — even for other people down the road.
"That’s the big thing for both of us.”
