Bill Bucklew is halfway through his 2,500-mile journey to raise money and awareness about Parkinson’s Disease. He’s in Texas today, passing north of Dallas-Ft. Worth, on a walk that he began the day after Thanksgiving.
Source: ABC News, Chicago
Mr. Bucklew, an Illinois native, began in Georgia and will conclude his trip in California. He has been fighting Parkinson’s for 12 years, according to ABC News. His father also has the disease, and they believe that his grandfather had it, too, according to CBS 19 News in Texas.
I want to send a message that you don’t have to sink into a hole and stay inside, get wrapped up in things. You can really do some great stuff even with the disease.
– Bill Bucklew
Mr. Bucklew and his walk have inspired people across the country to join him for brief stretches and share their stories. According to CBS 19 News, one woman he met found him the next day to bring him socks. Another woman, who had just had a double mastectomy, joined him for one block while she was in a bathrobe and medical tubing still attached.
About one million Americans live with Parkinson’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation – more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year, and more than 10 million people worldwide are living with it. The combined direct and indirect cost of Parkinson’s, including treatment, social security payments and lost income, is estimated to be nearly $25 billion per year in the US alone.
You can follow Mr. Bucklew along his journey at UncorkedAdventures.org, where you donate and track him live.
