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Thu, Apr 05 2007 Woman to walk for Parkinson's cure By Michael Mager/Features Editor When Debbe Woodard of Cleburne does her two-mile walk around the loop through the middle of New York City's Central Park, she will do it with a sense of purpose. Woodard, like Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali and 1 million other Americans, suffers from Parkinson's disease. And when she makes that two-mile walk, she won't be alone. Thousands of Parkinson's sufferers will participate April 28 in the Parkinson's Unity Walk, expressing their desire for a cure. "Of course, I'm looking forward to seeing New York because I've never been there," said the 60-year-old Woodard, who will be going on the walk with her daughter. "But I also want to meet other people who are like me. I'd love to meet other people from around the country or even around the world who have this disease so that we can communicate even after the event." Woodard's daughter, Brooke Fisher Morales, was instrumental in her having the disease diagnosed. The two of them were walking through Hulen Mall in Fort Worth when Morales noted her mother's reflection in a store window. She noticed that her mother was walking strangely. Her mother was shuffling her feet and bumping into things. "Mom," Morales said, "something's wrong. I want you to see a doctor right away." Woodard did. Parkinson's affects the portion of the brain that coordinates muscular coordination. The shuffling, odd walk Morales noted is a primary indicator. Other individuals have tremors in their extremities. Some have both. Woodard's muscles, she says, "tremble inside me, so I don't have the shaking fingers that you see in other people." Her foot is bandaged after a recent surgery, and she uses a wheelchair but not because she cannot walk. She can, but she trips and stumbles over things easily - one of the dangers to people with the condition. They break limbs or worse in falls they cannot control. "My daughter keeps me pumped up," Woodard said. "It was her idea to go on this walk in New York. I'm so excited because I've never been there. I can't wait to see the Empire State Building." Parkinson's has made the one-time cheerleader into more of an introvert, she said. "Since I was diagnosed with Parkinson's, I have found it really hard to speak in public," she said. Not too long ago, she and her husband, Jim, went to a support group. When the main speaker didn't show up, someone had to moderate the meeting. "I just couldn't do it," Woodard said. "I could," Jim said. "I never have any problem talking, but since she became sick, she's just not been the same." "Even sleeping is difficult," Debbe Woodard added. The Woodard family hopes people will donate money to the Parkinson's Unity Walk fund so a cure will be found. For information, call Woodard at 817-645-7038. On the Net: www.unitywalk.org Michael Mager can be reached at 817-645-2441, ext. 2338, or [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn