4th Annual LucaStrong Walk/Hike - Scroll down for more details!

The LucaStrong Parkinson's Hike/Walk on Sun, June 1st is at noon (registration at 11:30 am). My family has coped with family members having Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. Present day, my dad has had Parkinson's for over 21 years now. Jim Lucas, my dad is only 65 years old, which means he has had this disease since he was 44. That is very young for such a strong diagnosis. We have grown as a family, with loved ones and friends by our side through this whole experience. The point of LucaStrong is to help others. When someone is diagnosed it may come as a shock.

Me, I remember being an 11-year-old girl whose dad’s leg started shaking. We knew that Parkinson's disease was probably going to be the diagnosis but when they told us it still came as a shock. I remember sitting at the dinner table being a little girl when my parents told my sister and me. I had a wrenching pain in my chest and put my head down and cried for hours. All I could think about was how unfair it was for my dad to be given this and I knew our lives were going to change. What I didn’t know was that it ended up being a blessing in disguise.

We believe my dad was given this diagnosis so we could help educate and make a difference in the Parkinson's world. My family has grown such a strong bond throughout this experience. 2018 was a really tough year for my family. My dad’s Parkinson's was progressing and he had been waiting for brain surgery for a couple of years. The time had finally come for him to get surgery but then they had found skin cancer in his neck and breast cancer in my mom. This is why we are LucaStrong!

My mom’s mastectomy was one week earlier than my dad’s brain surgery was scheduled. His brain surgery had to be postponed when they found his skin cancer. (A blessing in disguise). We got through my mom’s 2 surgeries and my dad had his skin cancer removed. Then it was go time! Family and several friends sat with us in the waiting room while we all had tears coming down our cheeks during his surgery. We knew this was a huge procedure. What this procedure does is go in through his brain and put electrodes in to connect them to a port that they put into his chest in a later surgery. This port is able to help his motor skills and it is amazing. It was an unbelievably scary time for my family. And after an 8-hour brain surgery, my dad came out still telling jokes and being his witty self. He is still the man he has always been and does not let Parkinson's change his attitude, heart, or personality. We spent many hours at the hospital that year, but we have come out stronger on the other end.

We hope that sharing our story, will give others the strength to get through whatever challenges they too are facing.

One thing that has been a tremendous help to my dad through the years has been his ability to work out in an exercise program. Ahdi (Body by Ahdi) has been my dad’s personal trainer. This has made a tremendous difference for my Dad. We feel blessed to have the opportunity for my Dad to work out with Ahdi. Yoga has also been extremely helpful for my Dad (as well as my Mom). My parent’s friend, Kathy, has been coming to the house and doing Yoga with them for several years. With the cost of medications for people with Parkinson's, they are not always able to get the individual exercise training programs that can actually make a difference in the progression of the disease.

Another thing that I wanted to share, although it had always been something that I was embarrassed to admit, is that when I was growing up, my parents were able to send me to a therapist to help me try to cope with what our family was dealing with. The goal of LucaStrong is to help people with Parkinson's and their families live the best lives possible.

Sunday, June 1st at Holly State Park there will be a 3.5 mile hike or road walk, led by Jim Lucas at noon (registration at 11:30 am). The minimum donation is $50 per person and all of the money will go to Michigan Parkinson's Foundation/LucaStrong to be used for people in Oakland and Genesee counties with Parkinson's. With this money, they will be providing exercise programs to those with Parkinson's who are not able to do that on their own. This will also help to give those other family members who need someone to talk to a chance to get the help they need. We are LucaStrong, and hope you will join us to help make a difference.

We are asking you, your mom, dad, sister, brother, cousin, friend, or anyone you want to invite, to join us in raising awareness of Parkinson's and come see the impact! Thanks for listening, Kristina Lucas Bellas