STELLARTON – Carole Boudreau remembers the day she was diagonsed with Parkinson's disease.
She was at her neurologist's office tying her shoes when he gave her the word.
"I said 'no way,'" she said in a recent interview. "I was working at the nursing home and I looked after people with Parkinson's."
That was in 1987 and she's kept a positive outlook ever since then.
"I'm very fortunate that I have a good neurologist and the medication I'm on is great. It (Parkinson's) slows me down a bit, there's things I used to do but I can't. I'm the type of person that I don't let it get me down."
She said she's lucky to have the support of great family and friends. She counts the Pictou County Parkinson Support Group as part of her network of strength.
"It has helped me tremendously."
She spent the past nine years as secretary but feels she may have to give that post up now.
One thing she won't be giving up is her involvement in the SuperWalk which takes place in Stellarton on Sept. 11.
Boudreau said she won't be walking this year, although she did last year, but she'll be busy at the event working to gather in all the pledges and will be raising funds herself.
"It gets people out in the open air and sunshine to walk and meet new friends. It helps raise awareness.… The SuperWalk is great. We walk and support each other, even ones in wheelchairs go."
She misses darts and bowling, two of her most favourite activities, but that doesn't take away from her optimistic outlook.
"When I go to meetings and I see people that are worse than me I say to myself 'you are very lucky.' I take every day as it comes."
Fourth year for local SuperWalk
The Parkinson SuperWalk takes place Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton.
Registration begins at 1 p.m. with the walk getting underway at 2 p.m. There is a warmup conducted at 1:30 p.m. by a physiotherapist to get everyone ready to go.
It's the fourth year for the walk, said Josephine Jollymore, one of the co-ordinators along with Margaret Milne.
"Our aim is to ease the burden and find the cure," she said.
Last year's walk raised just over $9,700 and they're hoping for a bit more this time around. But it's not all about raising money for awareness and research, there's another side to the walk too.
"It's an opportunity to bring together the people in the area with Parkinson's and their families."
For more information contact Josephine Jollymore at 752-6791or Margaret Milne at 922-2137.
