I am the oldest of 9 grandkids. You would think that with so many of us, it would be insanity to take the grandkids anywhere. But not for my Grandma Susie & Grandpa Bill. We would spend an extra long memorial weekend with them and do all sorts of crazy things. Kayaking in the ocean, trampoline parks, and dinners out and about. We did it all. Never a boring time with Grandma & Grandpa. They are the coolest Grandparents in the world.

When we found out that Grandma Susie had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I was pregnant with the first great grandbaby. It was a hard blow to take. This was my adventurous, crazy, awesome Grandmother. And it was suddenly possible that my daughter would never know or remember her that way. I wasn’t even sure if she’d be able to hold my baby girl when she was born.

Thankfully, she was diagnosed fairly early, and not only are her meds working, but she has been putting every effort into fighting it off. I moved back to California to help out in at our family business where she is the brains behind the whole operation. I was needed in the office, not because she had lost any capability, but because with all her different activities, between tai chi, yoga, working out, walking, support group, and the couple doctor’s appointments, she doesn’t have the time to come in and sit at a desk for 8 hrs. I have no doubt in my mind that she will be taking her great grandbabies on all the same crazy adventures she took me and my cousins on.

I had the pleasure of attending 2 workshops with her at an Apple store in Irvine that were specifically for giving those living with Parkinson’s options for making their apple products work best for them. It is so incredibly amazing to see the passion people have for helping others, and for finding new technologies to help others. Grandma Susie isn’t at a point where she needs most of the things they showed us. But her quest for all the knowledge is so inspiring. She knows that the more she knows, the better she can prepare. She told me that she is always learning something new. Every person diagnosed is their own unique snowflake as they say. Each with their own symptoms that affect them their own ways. And there are always new developments to help all those different snowflakes. It’s organizations like this one that help make those developments possible. And give the support every step of the way to those living with this disease.

This will be our third 5k as “Grandma’s Team” and our second consecutive year at Marina Green Park for Moving Day. We are very hopeful for a large group of people coming out to support her again. With all she does its the least we can do is show up, walk and raise a little money to support her.