Help Bruce Defeat Dystonia & Parkinson’s!

The picture above shows me at the Olympics Aquatic Center in Mexico City in 1971.  I was a high school student in Mexico and on my school’s swimming team. 

On the weekend of September 26, 2015, I will enter two triathlons to raise money for and awareness of dystonia and Parkinson’s disease.  I hope you will support me!  Your donation will go directly to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research’s Team Defeat Dystonia.  The Fox Foundation will use 100% of the proceeds to research better treatment and a cure.

Your financial support will help enormously! To donate, please visit my personal “Bruce Ballard – Parking Suns” page on the Fox Foundation website:  

click HERE!

I am part of a larger group of about 100 athletes who will enter two days of races on the coast of Rye, New York.  I am the swimmer on two three-person relay teams; after I clamber out of the ocean, someone else will do the biking, and a third person will finish with the run.  The entire weekend is being organized by my friend, Ali Hersh London, who lives with dystonia.  And as you probably know, I have Parkinson’s.

Dystonia is the 3rd most common neurological movement disorder, causing involuntary muscle contractions and spasms that force the body into awkward, painful postures. An estimated half million kids and adults in North America suffer from dystonia.  To learn more about dystonia, its connection to Parkinson’s, and Team Defeat Dystonia, please read Ali’s recent guest blog post for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Parkinson’s disease is the 2nd most common neurological movement disorder, causing changes to the part of the brain that controls movement. Symptoms vary from individual to individual, and can include tremor, slowness of movement, muscle tightness, a severe limp and problems with balance. Non-motor symptoms include choking and swallowing difficulties, chronic insomnia, constipation, and dementia.  Approximately one million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s.  An estimated 40 percent of people living with Parkinson’s have dystonia, too.  You can read about my life with Parkinson’s by clicking around on this “Parking Suns” website.

There are no known cures – yet – for these debilitating diseases. I hope to change that, and so I’ve joined Ali’s team of star athletes who are raising money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.  With your help, we can move ever closer to the “Found a Cure” finish line!

Thanks in advance for your generous support!

Help Bruce Defeat Dystonia & Parkinson’s!