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Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
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Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 7:05 AM
Subject: Who Is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson's Disease To A Child
WHO IS PEE DEE
Contact: Kay Mixson Jenkins Phone: 912-655-5293
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Websites: www.WhoIsPeeDee.com
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
HOW TO EXPLAIN PARKINSON’S DISEASE TO A CHILD
(Springfield, GA)—When you live with a devastating illness like Parkinson’s Disease (PD), it affects your entire family—especially the kids.
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Over six million people worldwide suffer from PD, and one in ten patients diagnosed are under the age of fifty. For those children who witness the debilitating symptoms of this illness first-hand, many questions and concerns will arise. But what are the best answers to give them?
In her new book, Who is Pee Dee? Explaining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child, author Kay Mixson Jenkins helps children and their families understand Parkinson’s Disease through the story of a young boy named Colt and his toy panda bear, “Pee Dee.”
“I have seen the look of fear in a small child’s eyes when I become dyskanetic, It is heartbreaking to know that I am the cause of it, says Ms. Jenkins. She hopes her book will help ease those fears.
It goes without saying that for most kids, Parkinson’s Disease is difficult to understand. In Who Is Pee Dee? Ms. Jenkins answers many of the most common questions that kids have about the chronic illness:
a.. What is Parkinson’s Disease?
b.. Is it contagious?
c.. Why do people with PD walk so slowly?
d.. Why don’t they smile anymore?
e.. Will I shake when I get older?
f.. When will my relative with PD get better?
g.. Do they still love me?
h.. Is it my fault?
i.. How can I help?
j.. Are they going to die?
“All children in Parkinson’s families observe the devastating changes that come over their loved ones, and few know how to react to the disease.” says Eugenia Kaye Co-Founder PDHOPE. “Hopefully, Kay’s book will help lay the groundwork for the hard road ahead that these kids have to face.”
In addition to creating Who Is Pee Dee? The author is a leader in a nationwide effort to raise awareness about PD. As the founder of Parkinson’s in the Park, an affiliated chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, Ms. Jenkins has created an outreach program that encourages families and friends to participate in the treatment of PD patients. Each April family and friends gather to release live butterflies to raise awareness, it was started to honor and remember those touched by Parkinson’s but Ms Jenkins says they will never turn down anyone who wishes to release a butterfly. She knows what it feels like to hope and the feeling watching a butterfly fluttering off with your wish for a cure is one of hope.
“It is essential for people living with Parkinson’s to have resources to help them adjust to a different lifestyle,” says Ms. Jenkins. “Who Is Pee Dee? Also includes a wealth of resources for20the PD adult.”
Kay Mixson Jenkins is the Georgia state co-coordinator for the Parkinson’s Action Network, leads the Effingham County Parkinson’s support group and was selected as a Parkinson’s patient advocate for UCB Pharmaceuticals.
For more information, contact the author directly via [log in to unmask] or www.whoispeedee.com
(Who is Pee Dee? Exp laining Parkinson’s Disease to a Child by Kay Mixson Jenkins; illustrated by Richard Morgan; ISBN: 978-0-9819129-0-5.)
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