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Interview with The Shoe Maven – Tonya Walker and more from WPC2016
Tonya Walker on the cover of More Than Motion!
While in Portland,OR for the 4th World Parkinson Congress 2016 (#WPC2016), I visited several vendors and their booths. Here are some of the interesting products and people that I had the opportunity to encounter:
I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with the creator and owner of the blog, The Shoe Maven (www.theshoemaven.com), Tonya Walker, at the More Than Motion booth. Tonya has been living with Parkinson’s disease since the age of 32. Not only is she a mother of a young son, a law professor, a wife, someone with Parkinson’s but also a clothing designer of her own cause-based fashion label (TSM Originals). I appreciate her strength, determination, and drive to make the community more aware. Her positive attitude and passion to make a difference shone through our discussion.
I spoke with Ms. Walker about her blog and her passion for sharing her journey, improving awareness about young-onset Parkinson’s disease, and her love for fashion. With over 120 pairs of shoes, I can say that Tonya blows away my measly 5 or 6 pairs. Tonya found benefit from DBS or Deep Brain Stimulation first by having the surgery on her left side in 2013 and then her right side in 2015. You can watch Tonya’s video at https://www.facebook.com/parkinsonsmorethanmotion/videos.
As I have shared with my readers for over 8 years, Parkinson’s disease requires a proactive pursuit to search for a combination/recipe of complementary therapies, medications, or medical procedures that work exclusively for you. No two Parkinson’s patients are exactly alike, and what may work for me, may not work for you.
Here are some useful tools that I found at the vendor exhibits that might be helpful to know about:
Global Kinnetics Corporation
Global Kinnetics Corporation just released The Personal KinetiGraph, a movement recording device to assist doctors in treating and managing their patients with movement disorders. The PKG Data Logger is a wrist-worn device that was recently FDA cleared for the recording of movement, associated with Bradykinesia, Dyskinesia and Fluctuations. The unit is a nice looking watch capable of providing important mobility information to your doctors. As of 2 weeks ago, the device was not yet approved in Virginia, but some states are currently using it right now. You may want contact them for information in your state at www.globalkineticscorporation.com.
LiftWare
I dropped by the LiftWare booth to try out their stabilizing handle and attachments for people having hand tremor and difficulty with a fork or spoon. The product worked well, appeared to be durable, and was comfortable to hold. If holding a fork or spoon is a challenge for you, due to tremor, I think LiftWare is worth investigating as an option. For more information go to www.liftware.com
LifeWalker
I dropped their booth to take their upright walker for a test drive. My first spin in the walker took getting used to, but I did see the benefit of this device. Unlike many walkers, the LifeWalker keeps the user upright and at eye level, allowing for face to face contact. I found the units well-built at first glance and well designed. To learn more go to www.lifewalkermobility.com.
These are not product endorsements. I encourage you to do the research for yourself and make your own decision. I hope that this was helpful!
Here are some more of my photos from WPC 2016:
A great crowd!
Keith, Mike, Lisa, Linda, Angela, and me in Portland!
Author, lecturer, John Baumann, my GoPro, and I!
Exploring the WPC2016 book nook and finding my book!
Ran into my friends– fellow author, Jackie Hunt Christensen and her husband, Paul!
Ran into my friend, blogger,humorist, and author Bev Ribaudo (YumaBev – http://parkinsonshumor.blogspot.com/)
Sharing a seat with my friends and authors Michael and Gretchen Church and behind us fellow authors James and Helen Buell Whitworth!
Great to see my friend, Adolfo Diaz!
Back from Portland–The 4th World Parkinson Congress (WPC)!
4th World Parkinson Congress in Portland, Oregon, US!
Last week, over 4000 Parkinson’s advocates, patients, researchers, speech pathologists, neurologists, authors, those living with Parkinson’s, carepartners/caregivers, family and friends, and those interested in Parkinson’s disease all convened on the beautiful northwest city of Portland, Oregon. #WPC2016, an event only held every 3 years (next to be held in Kyoto Japan in 2019), assembled news makers, scientists, doctors, and patient experts who discussed the latest information in Parkinson’s.
Vendors spanning the globe brought the latest in equipment, tools, medicines and procedures, and therapies for improving the lives of those living with Parkinson’s.
Due to flight delays and adverse weather, my updates have been delayed, but watch for my next post for more pics and my talk with the Editor of the blog, The Shoe Maven, the fashionable and inspirational Tonya Walker, as well as some other observations from this wonderful event.
Here are some photos:
Sonia and a smaller Parky.
Dylis from New Zealand and me.
Saying “Hi” to Parky the Raccoon.
What a coast!
Great Parks!
Five or More Questions with Polly Dawkins
Meet the people leading the Parkinson’s organizations!
Introducing, Five or More…, a series leading up to the World Parkinson Congress 2016 in Portland–meet some of the Executive Directors and leaders in the Parkinson’s Community as they answer a range of some required questions and some optional: Polly Dawkins of The Davis Phinney Foundation, was kind to agree to go first.
Here are eight questions. Five of them are encouraged that you answer. The remaining three questions are your choice whether you want to provide an answer or not. Thank you for being the first to try this experiment!
I have known Polly since she started at The Davis Phinney Foundation and she has been a loyal follower of the blog.
Required questions:
Chinese, Thai, Italian, Mexican, or Ethiopian—what is your favorite cuisine?
Do I have to choose? Love Asian food and my favorite is Japanese. Since that’s not the on list…if it’s a great Mexican place (like the food in the Yucatan Peninsula), that’s the food I’d choose. The spicier the better. And, Thai would be a close second.
What do you like on your pizza?
Grilled fennel, roasted garlic and mushrooms on an olive oil and light cheese base, topped with fresh arugula and shaved parmesan.
Of the four seasons, which is your favorite time of the year?
Summertime is the only time of year for me.
How many World Parkinson Congress events have you attended?
Montreal was my first Congress and Portland will be my second.
What are you looking forward to most in Portland, (site of the WPC 2016)?
Meeting with members of the Parkinson’s community in person, seeing old friends with whom we have worked, creating new partnerships/collaborations in the community and spending time with the Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassadors.
Optional:
Tell us something about yourself that we might not know about you that you would like to share.
I have the best job ever. You probably already knew that. I love to swim and ride my bike. You probably knew that, too. Something new and different? I love spending time in Latin America and speaking Spanish.
Where would you like to go, that you have never been before?
Chile, Argentina, New Zealand, Norway (when it’s warm) and Botswana.
What is the Davis Phinney Foundation working on that you would like to tell us?
In addition to working on bringing The Victory Summit to Sacramento, New Orleans, SW Florida, Nashville, Durango and other locations yet to be announced, we are currently working on developing new content and launching a new website for the Davis Phinney Foundation, which should be up and ready by the time we’re all gathered together in Portland.
As well, we are really proud of the quality of life research we’ve funded and what that has meant in terms of changing the way people approach living with Parkinson’s. As well, we are considering ways in which we can invest in quality of life research that have more direct impact on our programs and the Parkinson’s community as a whole.
Thanks again, Polly!
World Parkinson Congress’s Video Is Ending Soon–So vote this week!
Pick your favorite video!
The top 12 videos have been selected, now it is the people’s choice to decide who will be crowned this years winner!
Be sure to see the videos and cast your vote by clicking here: http://www.wpc2016.org/page/top12
Shoes, Coffee, Advocacy, and WPC 2016
First thing:
I am NOT a paid sponsor nor have I been compensated for these comments:
I guess you could call this a “footnote”–okay, bad joke, but I think some of you with foot problems and balance issues, might just find benefit in trying these shoes. They are the cost of a good running shoe and they have a return policy if the shoes don’t work out: My only mention of these shoes here is because I have found them to be so comfortable–period. My wife and I recently discovered these
Comfort and Stability
