|
Dear Friends; I am most excited about the following email that I received on 12/03. It has inspired me, even more, to continue my cycling advocacy. I have finally found someone in Parkinson's research that is actually researching the affects of cycling on the mobility of people who have PD. Jay Alberts, Ph.D, who is doing the research, has invited me to join he & his group, in July '04, to ride the "RAGBRAI". This 7 day / 435 mile ride across Iowa will be a real test to my mind, as well as my body. But: Jay, I'll be there if I have to pedal to get there!! Hi Jim, Dear Parky, Pedaling for Parkinson’s was formed in the Summer of 2003 to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and promote the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle to mitigate motor impairments associated with Parkinson’s. The primary mission of Pedaling for Parkinson’s is to improve the quality of life of Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers through a cycling training program. One of the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease is impaired balance. This and other symptoms make it paramount for Parkinson’s patients to train and perform these rides on tandem bicycles with a non-Parkinson’s individual taking the captain position. Recently, Dr. Jay Alberts, a professor in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Tech, and Cathy Frazier, 48 year-old Parkinson’s patient from Suwanee, GA, rode a tandem bicycle across the state of Iowa as part of RAGBRAI XXXI. A total of 464 miles were completed in the weeklong tour. One goal of this inaugural effort was to determine the feasibility of assisting a Parkinson’s patient on a long-distance tandem bicycle ride. Cathy’s dream of completing a long-distance bike ride was realized through the use of a tandem bicycle, as Dr. Alberts was able to balance and maneuver the bicycle so Cathy could focus on pedaling, (for more information, see attached ride summary). Cathy said to the Des Moines Register, “For this week it felt like I did not have Parkinson’s. I felt like I could do anything.” We want other Parkinson’s patients to have that same feeling. We know now that we can empower patients to engage in an active lifestyle to fight the disease that is attempting to rob them of their movement. But we need help, since our return from Iowa a number of Parkinson’s disease patients have expressed interest in joining our group for a ride across Georgia or Iowa next summer. In order to meet this patient interest we need four tandems to be used for future regional and cross-state bicycle rides and a trailer to haul the tandems and participant gear. A local bike shop in Atlanta has agreed to sell us tandems at their cost ranging from $1700 to $2200 US dollars each. A donation that would cover the purchase of a tandem(s) or other equipment would be greatly appreciated. Pedaling for Parkinson’s has been granted 501(c)(3) non-profit status so all gifts or merchandise would be tax deductible. In exchange for a sponsorship the company logo and Website address would be prominently displayed on all jerseys worn by the team, donated bicycles, support vehicles and trailers. All press releases would acknowledge the company as an official sponsor of Pedaling for Parkinson’s. Pedaling for Parkinson’s garnered strong press coverage for this year’s ride and we are confident we will broaden our reach in subsequent rides, particularly as the number of participating Parkinson’s patients increase. Attached are some of our best media hits from this summer. We welcome the opportunity to further discuss a potential sponsorship between any of these companies and Pedaling for Parkinson’s. Please contact me at 404.385.2339 or jay.alberts@ap.gatech.edu if you have any questions. I hope you will be able to join us in Iowa in 2004. Best Regards, Jay L. Alberts, Ph.D. Cathy Frazier| Enclosures: RAGBRAI ’03 Summary Pedaling for Parkinson’s disease Our Mission 1) To improve quality of life of Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers. 2) To educate patients, caregivers and the general public of the benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle after Parkinson’s diagnosis. 3) To support research dedicated to finding a cure, prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Individual and tandem cycling programs and opportunities will be provided to Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers. Customized training programs will be developed with the primary goal of improving whole body motor function and cognitive performance. After completing group and individual training sessions Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers will be given an opportunity to participate in organized rides and tours (e.g. Bike Ride Across Georgia or Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa). During these tours patients will participate in seminars and support group meetings in the towns along the bike route. Patients will relate their experiences with Parkinson’s and how an active lifestyle has impacted their fighting of Parkinson’s symptoms. Pedaling for Parkinson’s Biographies Jay L. Alberts, Ph.D. Jay Alberts is a native of Sanborn, Iowa and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Exercise Science from Iowa State University in 1994. He completed his neuroscience doctoral training in 2000 at Arizona State University where he worked under Drs. George E. Stelmach and James R. Bloedel in his studies investigating the effects of Parkinson’s disease on motor performance and learning. Dr. Alberts is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Applied Physiology at Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Alberts is the Director of the Human Motor Control Laboratory. He has more than 15 peer-reviewed scientific publications in high profile journals such as Brain, Experimental Brain Research, Parkinsonism and Related Disorders and other prominent medical journals. Dr. Alberts serves as a reviewer for a number of scientific journals and his professional affiliations include, American Academy of Neurology, Society of Neuroscience and International Graphonomics Society. Dr. Alberts has had continual extramural funding for his research since 1997 in the form of grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Parkinson’s disease Association and Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation. Dr. Alberts is married to Janelle Alberts and they have an eight-month old daughter. Dr. Alberts is an avid cyclist and triathlete. Cathy Frazier Cathy Frazier is the managing partner of a cycling coaching and consulting practice, Frazier Cycling, Inc. She is also the owner of Frazier Marketing & Graphic Design, Inc., a corporate identity firm. Her company works with businesses to create and promote a consistent corporate image. Ms. Frazier’s technology background includes 12 years of development, marketing and management in retail software development. She has also headed an advanced development technology start-up company. She is an experienced sales trainer, working with professional services business owners. Ms. Frazier is the editor of the quarterly National Association of Women Business Owners publication “NAWBO Atlanta Works”. She has degrees from Ohio University, Ohio State University and Capital University. She is a member of the Frazier Cycling Partners, is married to Ralph Frazier and has three children. Pedaling for Parkinson’s Ride Summary Just about the time Lance Armstrong was wrapping up his fifth consecutive Tour de France title, the Pedaling for Parkinson’s Team was completing their trek across Iowa as part of RAGBRAI. Cathy Frazier, a 48 year-old Parkinson’s disease patient, and six other cyclists celebrated their 464-mile accomplishment with the traditional dipping their front bike tires in the Mississippi River in Ft. Madison, Iowa. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that results in slower uncoordinated movements and produces balance impairments. With these motor difficulties one has to wonder why an individual with PD would ride 464 miles across Iowa. For Cathy this ride was about battling the motor symptoms of PD, overcoming her fears of falling, raising awareness for PD and showing others that maintaining an active lifestyle is critical in fighting PD. Cathy, who has difficulty balancing her own bike around other cyclists and cars, decided it would be safer to ride a tandem bicycle with Dr. Jay L. Alberts, a PD researcher from Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Alberts took the role of captain while Cathy was the stoker. On most mornings, Cathy and the rest of the Pedaling for Parkinson’s team left their overnight hosts around 6:30 AM to beat the late July heat and humidity and afternoon winds. When Cathy announced to her Atlanta friends that she was going to ride a bicycle more than 450 miles across Iowa, they were surprised and offered encouragement; a common response was, “At least it will be flat.” After climbing more than 16,000 feet that week in the rolling hills of Southern Iowa, Cathy concluded, “Iowa is definitely not flat.” As anyone who has attempted a long distance ride knows, saddle sores and muscle soreness are part of the experience. Despite the wind, hills and soreness Cathy battled through the pain and completed every official mile. Cathy is no stranger to long distance rides as her husband Ralph, who coaches cyclists and triathletes, was an accomplished ultra distance bicycle racer in the 1980’s. During the ride, Ralph helped to set a consistent pace for Cathy and Dr. Alberts. Pedaling for Parkinson’s was started by Dr. Alberts, an avid cyclist and member of the Frazier Cycling Partners, who saw a connection between his two passions, PD research and cycling as a way to help Cathy continue her personal battle with her affliction and motivate other Parkinson’s patients to get active. Alberts felt that RAGBRAI would be an opportunity to raise awareness as it is the oldest and largest organized ride in the world. While the week of cycling was taxing, Cathy said, “For that week I felt like I didn’t have Parkinson’s disease, I did not notice my usual symptoms. Of course, I had a lot of aches and pains elsewhere.” Cathy adds, “Prior to my diagnosis, I would not have considered doing this ride, but it was chance to prove that I could do something unthinkable for me and overcome my fears.” By all accounts this ride was a success as more than $6400 was raised for PD research and numerous people were inspired by Cathy’s efforts. Cathy plans to continue exercising and riding the tandem in organized rides where she will continue to spread the message that, “staying active as a Parkinson’s patient is critical in my fight against this disease that wants to rob me of my movement.” Daily reports from Cathy during the ride can be found by following the links at: www.fraziercycling.com. The Pedaling for Parkinson’s team plans to expand their efforts this next year by getting more Parkinson’s disease patients participating in cycling and possibly other cross-state tours. Dr. Alberts would like to bring additional PD patients on cross-state tours. A number of PD patients have expressed an interest in participating in these tours, however additional tandem bicycles are needed. The Pedaling for Parkinson’s team is in need of a sponsor or benefactor to acquire additional tandems. For more information on future events individuals may contact Cathy Frazier or Dr. Jay L. Alberts. Ride Summary: Web Search Results Google search for ‘Pedaling for Parkinson’s’
League of American Bicyclists: Newsletter
The Frazier Cycling Partners Events Page - www.thefraziergroup. ...
The Tandem Link - Bulletin Board
INDIANA: Parkinsonian Woman Tests Strength, Faith On RAGBRAI During RAGBRAI traffic on www.fraziercycling.com increased 52%. |