In Service of Getting Answers about Parkinson ’ s
Brad Lindberg , age 63 , U . S . veteran , Wilmington , North Carolina
A life of service
I retired as a Colonel in the Marine Corps after 27 years of service . I was designated as an attack helicopter pilot , but I also served in many other staff , school and ground assignments . I met some incredible people , including my wife , Amy , at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville , North Carolina . She served on active duty in the Navy . Amy was 26 and I was 28 .
Marching to a different drummer
One day , about five years ago , Amy and I were walking down the street and I happened to notice that she wasn ’ t swinging her right arm . I began to call a “ marching cadence ” to get her to swing her arm , which we laughed about . But after some time , Amy began to feel anxious and a bit off her game mentally . After having some tests done , we decided to see a neurologist . The doctor was very straightforward . When she said , “ You have Parkinson ’ s ,” we were shocked , but at the same time relieved to confirm our suspicions .
Project PD
Right away , Amy took Parkinson ’ s on as her own project . She helped expand a local Parkinson ’ s group in our senior center and is involved with Rock Steady Boxing and with The Michael J . Fox Foundation . She is always linking people together who should be talking . Amy is committed to daily , rigorous exercise , keeping our family in line and assisting me with our honeybees . I also enjoy working out and spending time in the bee yard — both get me going and help me feel clear-minded .
Tag team
I ’ ve learned all about Parkinson ’ s from my wife . Right now , she ’ s part of multiple research projects and veterans ’ working groups . One working group is comprised of veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune and are diagnosed with Parkinson ’ s . They are providing feedback to help the Department of Veterans Affairs better understand Parkinson ’ s disease . There are so many veterans who have health issues related to their service . Participating in research might be a way to help others and to get more answers .
KEEP IN MIND
+ Agent Orange , other toxins and traumatic brain injury are linked to Parkinson ’ s .
+ These environmental exposures and other risks , such as acting out dreams , are more common among military veterans .
+ Not every veteran and not every veteran who had an environmental exposure develops Parkinson ’ s .
+ Veterans can help researchers understand military links to Parkinson ’ s and prevent disease .
Better Brain Health | Section 02 — Understanding and Living with Risk Factors 41