Contribute to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in memory of Brian

In memory of

Brian "Papa Edwards" Dennison Edwards

Squamish, BC, Canada

April 28, 1940 - July 27, 2013

Apr 28, 1940 - Jul 27, 2013

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Our father Brian Edwards, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease some 10 months after the passing of our mother Rose Edwards. Our parents met on a ship to England travelling from New Zealand and Australia at approximately 20 and 21 years old. Our parents were married in the Greek Orthodox Church in January 1964 and were forever connected by the 20 years and 4 children they created. On a a visit just prior to our mother's passing in 2005, she recognized a tremor in dad's hand while drinking tea; and spoke about how he might have Parkinson's; we had seen this same characteristic in our nana. However at the time it was a passing moment. It was 10 months after our mum's passing that he was diagnosed. I had recognized the impact that her passing had on him. It is my (I am the eldest) long held belief that our father's Parkinson's was further exacerbated and triggered by the emotional impact of our mother's passing. She was a force, and she endured much in her life and fought hard for the love of our family and to keep our family whole. This is a trait that she has passed on to us, her children, and from both our father and our mother, we received the work ethic. It is important for me to write this story of our parents, because, even though he went on to re-marry and have two children, he had a life before that and those remembrances deserve to be memorialized. As such this page is being started so that we as a family have a place to also memorialize our father as we remember him in our lives. Michael J. Fox, from Burnaby B.C. was born in the exact same hospital as me and my siblings. He is a world class actor and activist and brought Parkinson's into the sphere of the public eye, plus, he has continued in his capacity to continue to participate in the film industry, showing us all that no matter what we endure, we can overcome obstacles that may keep us from continuing. Our father told us that he would not die from Parkinson's, but he would die with it. It was the managing of the effects of the Parkinson's that was evident to me. For instance, on the first occasion we recognized an effect, he had been eating a lunch and became unable to speak without slurring, he got very hot and stifled, and we thought he may be having a stroke; but what was happening is he was having something like a head rush, but the opposite, the blood was rushing to his stomach to help digest the food (this is not me making it up, but it is written in the medical journals), therefore his breathing became slow and it was as if he had stood up too fast. We called 911, we called his wife, and we then learned what to do from her; we took of his sweater, we put a cold compress on his head, and we kept talking to him until he came right. This experience told me, that he should "never, never" be alone. When our dad passed away, we learned that he was alone; the caregiver who had agreed to stay with dad for a week rather than by himself, he had an episode and likely fell to the floor, and there was no-one there to help him and -bring him out of it- so to speak, resulting in cardiac arrest; the blood and oxygen in his body was unable to pump appropriately. This is so important for someone who has family or friend with Parkinson's Disease. I want to also share an excerpt that speaks to my discussion on my belief. It is not just my made up idea, but it exists. If there was one thing I could share with another person, it is what I have described. Our father was a strong young man who taught elementary school, was a principal, an alderman, a volunteer fire-fighter, an entrepreneur, we built a trailer court and he was always working in the yard, albeit, he would start projects and then mum and I would finish them. We built and addition on our deck, and the one really big memory I have of our father, is his compassion towards others that are very vivid. Once on a drive from Pemberton to Mount Currie, he stopped abruptly on the side of the road and went down into the ditch where a First Nation's Indian man, who had only one leg, was in the the. He had his crutches, but he had somehow fallen into the ditch. Dad brought him up and we drove him home. He also fought fires in the mountains in the summer with the volunteer fire fighters.

While Parkinson's disease itself is not directly caused by emotional events, research suggests that stress and trauma can trigger or worsen its symptoms in some individuals. Stress can damage the brain cells that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential for movement, potentially making it harder for the body to produce and release dopamine. This can exacerbate tremors, stiffness, and slowness of movement, which are common symptoms of Parkinson's. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/parkinsons-and-trauma#:~:text=The%20researchers%20suggested%20that%20stress,be%20subtle%20and%20may%20include%20: Contribute to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

All contributions made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research through Ever Loved will be sent with the designation, “Wherever it is needed most”, at Suzanne Edwards and Christine Edwards's request.

About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

The MJFF is centered around finding and developing the next era of treatments for Parkinson's disease. They are defined by a sense of urgency in finding treatments for Parkinson's disease through research funding, high-risk investing in breakthrough and experimental treatments, connecting the Parkinson's community with each other for a better understanding of the disease.

Frequently asked questions

Answered by a team member at The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research

What is your mission?

The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.
How are donations used?

The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s research strategy — projects and activities we fund and prioritize for scientific attention and problem-solving — evolves rapidly in concert with advances made in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research. The past two decades have brought substantial growth in understanding PD, in particular the role of genetics and the disease mechanisms that are influenced by genetic changes. This has led to the development and testing of several experimental therapies that have the potential to slow or stop progression — patients’ greatest unmet need.

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