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Mary Schwab is a lifelong Coloradan who worked as an accountant and loves to explore Colorado’s scenic areas. She and her family lived in Arvada and owned a financial services business before eventually moving to Summit County.
On the weekends, Schwab and her husband would visit their second home in the Silverthorne area. Five years ago, the couple decided to make their go-to vacation spot their permanent residence.
It was around this time that Schwab was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At first, she said she didn’t know her symptoms, which had started a couple of years prior, were something serious.
A little more than two years ago, Puebloan Neal Weierbach took a trip to his local neurologist to get checked out for a bad case of the tremors.
It wasn’t the first time Weierbach had experienced the involuntary muscle movements, as he was involved in a traumatic car accident about 15 years ago and had some tremors after the wreck. But these tremors seemed different they appeared to be getting worse.
After a series of tests to measure his balance, movement and cognition, Weierbach’s neurologist delivered some troubling news.
“She put me through a whole series of tests and said, ‘I think you have Parkinson’s Disease,’” Weierbach recalled.
(Lander, WY) – On Tuesday, April 13th, Lander Mayor Monte Richardson signed a proclamation designating April as National Parkinsonâs and Caregiver Awareness Month.
Nationally, April is recognized as National Parkinsonâs Awareness Month, and Wyoming Parkinsonâs people and care partners are using the occasion to spread awareness of the disease and what can be done about it.
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Parkinsonâs disease is a chronic, progressive, neurological disease and is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States. The Parkinsonâs Foundation claims Wyoming has at least 1,400 people with Parkinsonâs Disease based on its national formula, but experts here believe there are many more. There are not enough neurologists in the state and no movement disorder specialists. Consequently, many people are either undiagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed.