My Michigan: A Century of putting the world on wheels segways into a Decade of commitment: sustainable mobility and finding a cure.
My vision of Michigan is deeply personal. Quite simply I want a cure for Parkinson’s Disease. I want a Michigander to find the cure..
Oh, and I want to have fun and adventure on the way to this cure.
Let me explain I am 49 years old, I was 39 when I was diagnosed with young onset’s Parkinson’s Disease.
Parkinson’s is a five stage disease.
1. “let the tremors begin”,
3. “velcro is my friend” and the dreaded fifth stage,
5. “a mind imprisoned in a body”.
I am currently in stage three and I’m in a hurry for a cure.
Here’s the thing,
My personal legacy touchstones have taught me that to accomplish a big “bodacious” goal will take everyone of us.
My grandmothers, one – the oldest daughter of 13 siblings left school after completing the 8th grade to assume additional family obligations.
The other, lived in and out of ‘foster care’, emigrated from Canada in her early 20’s and while in her 60’s – chose to complete her Bachelor’s Degree. (The Physical Education requirement! Thank god for golf!)
Each modeled a commitment to life-long learning, joy in the out of doors, a zest for travel, and a love for Michigan.
With my grandmothers cheering me on, I have pedaled a bicycle from Lake Erie to the West Bay of Lake Michigan. I have hiked the Porcupine Mts, camped at Bay Furnace and the Manitou Islands and canoed the Two Hearted, Boardman, Huron and Kalamazoo rivers.
I have dreamed of sailing from Detroit to Mackinaw Island and happily watched the ships go up and down the Detroit River.
Quite simply, I want my mobility back. Michigan is the State that put the world on wheels.
And I know that with our touchstones of his story and her story, our legacy of – entrepreneurship, innovation, compassion, philanthropic foresight, and out of the box creativity we can do this.
During the past year I have had moments of the return to movement. Experiencing the ‘joy of the glide’ simply by stepping onto a two wheeled personal transport device. The ‘Joy of the Glide” is hard to pin down into words – it must be experienced.
What does this have to do with a Cure for Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s Disease is considered to have a genetic predisposition and an environmental trigger.
The road to both understanding and finding a Cure will most certainly include science, technology, engineering and math.
The road to compassionate health care while we “glide towards a cure” will involve: personal assistants, nursing, occupational therapists, home meal delivery, innovative home modifications, and mobility modifications.
The road to a Cure will undoubtedly embrace “out of the box” potentials and solutions.
Here’s the challenge:
What if, we name –
January, 2008 – Innovation month
- We commit to celebrating the beautiful mosaic of people and cultures that is today’s Michigan and invite each to pick-up the baton of: innovation, experimentation, creativity, and fun?
What if, we challenge:
The youth of YouthVille Detroit, their peers from the youth iniative granting structure throughout the State to join with our young people at Cass Tech, Edsel Ford, Cousino and HH Dow High Schools to join together with the students of St. Francis, Kalamazoo Christian, Akiva Hebrew Day Academy, Delton, Kellogg Alternative School, Discovery Alternative School, Zeeland Academy, Roberto Clemente, Northport Public, Britton-Macon, Mesick Consolidated; the Nimrods of Watersmeet to join the River Rats of Huron High School to bring their “out of the box” creativity to set into motion a new day of Michigan ‘can do’ spirit?:
Pedaling
Paddling
Sailing
Gliding
From their home town to Traverse City, Michigan. – just in time for the Nationally recognized Cherry Festival Parade?
Will they choose solar power? Hydrogen fuel cells? Pedal power? Wind power? Or something we haven’t thought of ?
Will they raise their own funds, write a grant, look to role models and mentors for support or go it alone?
Who knows? What I do know is that “gliding into the future” is not for the faint of heart. Neither is finding a cure for a disease that impacts more than 40,000 Michiganers and their families.
Will you “glide into the future” with me?
Kathleen Russell is currently the owner of a small business in Traverse City, MI. She has more than 28 years of employment experience in education and child welfare.
