On the weekend of September 26th and 27th, I’ll enter two triathlons to raise money for and awareness of dystonia and Parkinson’s disease. All donations will go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: Team Defeat Dystonia. This cause is personal as my friend Ali Hersh London lives with dystonia and I live with Parkinson’s. I hope you will support our team. These are individual and relay triathlons and I will compete in the swim portion; about 100 athletes and their supporters are participating for Team Defeat Dystonia all told.
Your financial support will help enormously! To make a donation, please visit my Team Fox “Parking Suns – Bruce Ballard” donor webpage:
click HERE!
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.
Parkinson’s is the 2nd most common neurological movement disorder, causing changes in 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. (See my list, below, of famous people diagnosed with PD.) An estimated 40 percent of people living with Parkinson’s have dystonia, too.
There are no known cures – yet – for these debilitating diseases. I hope to change that, and am doing so as part of a larger effort comprised of 100 members: The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research’s Team Defeat Dystonia. The entire team will compete in either a sprint triathlon on Saturday, Sept. 26, or a longer Olympic-length triathlon on Sunday, Sept. 27. I am doing both.
Your financial support will help enormously! To make a donation, please visit my Team Fox “Parking Suns – Bruce Ballard” donor webpage:
click HERE!
Every dollar you give will go directly to fund research that has been identified as benefiting people with dystonia and Parkinson’s.
You can also support our efforts by sharing this post with family and friends, and using social media and other platforms to spread the word.
Many thanks in advance for your generosity,
Bruce Ballard
P.S. To learn more about dystonia, its connection to Parkinson’s, and Team Defeat Dystonia, you can read Ali’s recent guest blog post for the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
P.P.S. To learn more about my recent athletic training, please click here and here!
P.P.P.S. If you’d like to make a donation via check, please make it out to “The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research,” and mail it to:
Jason Rice – The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Grand Central Station
P.O. Box 4777
New York, NY 10163-4777
Please write my name and “Team Defeat Dystonia” on the “Memo” line.
Famous People Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease
- Michael J. Fox
- Muhammad Ali
- George H.W. Bush
- Brian Grant (NBA basketball player)
- Johnny Isakson (U.S. Senator)
- Davis Phinney (Olympic cyclist)
- Janet Reno (U.S. Attorney General)
- Linda Ronstadt
- Jack Anderson (newspaper columnist)
- Jim Backus (actor – Mr. Magoo; Gilligan’s Island)
- Margaret Bourke-White (photographer)
- Johnny Cash
- Salvador Dalí
- Pope John Paul II
- Dean Jones (actor)
- Pauline Kael (film critic)
- Casey Kasem (radio dj)
- Deborah Kerr (actress)
- John Lindsay (New York City mayor)
- William Masters (American sex researcher)
- Vincent Price (actor)
- Robin Williams (actor)
