Home Contact

logo

Family

Links:






Archives:


Newsletter:

Register for our Free monthly newsletter to receive timely updated information about Parkinsons Disease directly in your email.
Email
First Name
Last Name
Zip Code

Categories:



Register for our FREE monthly newsletter to receive timely updated information about Parkinsons Disease directly in your email.

Archive for June, 2008

Israel Develops Drug That Stops Progression of Parkinson`s

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
Researchers at the Technion Institute of Technology in the northern Israel port city of Haifa have developed a drug that slows the progression of Parkinson’s Disease.

Named Azilect, the drug is the first ever that has proven successful in combatting the onset of and the debilitative symptoms of Parkinson’s.

Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals, which owns the rights to Azilect, made the announcement on Monday following an 18-month trial period during which time the drug was administered to 1,176 Parkinson’s patients in 14 different countries.

Parkinson’s Cure Right Under Our Nose?

Friday, June 13th, 2008

By Peter J. Smith

SYDNEY, Australia, June 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New research on stem-cell therapy shows scientists have found that the cure for Parkinson’s disease may lie right under one’s nose – or rather, in it.

Researchers from Griffith University have published a study in the journal Stem Cells that has found adult stem-cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson’s patients developed into dopamine-producing brain cells upon being transplanted into the brain of a lab rat.

Professor Alan Mackay-Sim said researchers simulated Parkinson’s symptoms in rats by creating lesions on one side of the rat’s brain to imitate the damage Parkinson’s disease wreaks on the human brain. The lesions caused the rats to run in circles; however when stem-cells from the noses of Parkinson’s patients were injected into the affected area of the brain, the rats re-acquired the ability to run in a straight line.

According to Mackay-Sim, the evidence showed the injected stem-cells had differentiated into “dopamine-producing neurons influenced by being in the environment of the brain.”

Mackay-Sim explained that, like all stem-cells, these adult stem-cells from the olfactory nerve in the nose are “naïve,” since they have not yet differentiated into any particular type of cells.

“They can still be influenced by the environment they are put into. In this case we transplanted them into the brain, where they were directed to give rise to dopamine producing brain cells,” he added.

“Significantly, none of the transplants led to formation of tumours or teratomas in the host rats as has occurred after embryonic stem-cell transplantation in a similar model.”

The research team made their latest discovery by building upon the groundbreaking work of Mackay-Sim, whose team in 2005 revealed they had found stem-cells from the nose have properties superior to embryonic stem-cells, and had developed them successfully into heart, nerve, liver, and brain cells.

Mackay-Sim’s team had developed a technique that extracts stem-cells from the olfactory nerves of patients in a harmless 10 minutes procedure. Unlike unethical embryonic stem-cells – which have yielded no cures despite the investment of hundreds of millions of research dollars – these stem-cells from a patient’s nose do not develop into tumours, are compatible with a patient’s immune system and therefore do not require dangerous immuno-suppressant drugs.

Mackay-Sim’s latest discovery in the little-recognized field of adult stem-cell research is the work of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research, part of Griffith University’s Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies.

Source: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061206.html

Forums for Parkinson’s Disease

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

I’ve been looking at a few forums lately, because many of my readers are looking for some good forums sights for Parkinson’s.  I plan on creating a forums section for my site, here by until then there are a few forums I recommend.  A few weeks ago I wrote about We Move’s forum.  They have a great community that is thriving, it could be a great place to meet new people.

Today I visited the National Parkinson Foundation forum and was impressed with a couple of things.  The first thing was the availability to ask a doctor or surgical team specific questions about Parkinson’s disease.  I think that it’s amazing that such resources are now at our fingertips, years ago this was pretty much unheard of… I mean they may have a hot line or phone line that was used for these but I’m sure it was difficult to get through and receive a professional opinion in almost no time.  I hope that you’ll use this resource.  Please let me know if you have any questions about these forums.

The next forum I plan to evaluate is Neurotalk, you can expect that past to come out in a couple of weeks.  Like I said earlier, I’ll be launching a forums for My Parkinson’s Disease soon, but until then these are great sources to go to.

High Cholesterol Connected with Parkinson’s

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

I just read an article on a correlation between high cholesterol and Parkinson’s disease.  Now we all know that high cholesterol is connected with increased heart disease, but I don’t think any of us (maybe I’m being a little to presumptuous here) would have guessed that there’s a conncection between high cholesterol and Parkinson’s.

Reuters reports that researchers examined this relationship in a  cohort of 24,773 Finnish men and  26,153 women between the ages of 25 and 74 years.  A total of 321 men and 304 women developed Parkinson’s disease during an average follow-up of 18 years.

Compared to people with the lowest cholesterol, those with the highest had an 86 percent likelihood of developing Parkinson’s disease.

This increased risk applied to people 24 to 54 years of age.  “However, no association was found among subjects aged 55 years or older at baseline.

I’m not making any assumptions here but I would really like to see some deeper studies about this study.  We’ll let you know if anything else develops.

Stem Cells from Nose Used to Treat Parkinson’s

Monday, June 9th, 2008

I just read this article and wanted to pass it on.  Please let me know what you think about this article, I’m still digesting it and plan on doing some more research about some certain points that it brings out, so you’ll hear more from me about this subject.The scientists from Griffith University in Brisbane have used cells taken from a human nose to successfully treat rats with Parkinson’s disease.

The team led by Professor Alan Mackay-Sim have been involved in a project for the past five years concerned with research using cell therapy to repair the nervous system.

Professor Mackay-Sim is a sensory neuroscientist who specialises in olfaction, the sense of smell and along with a team of ten researchers used rats bred to develop the debilitating brain disease Parkinson’s, which made the rats run around in circles.

The researchers took cells from the noses of humans suffering with Parkinson’s and injected them into the rats’ brains, and the rodents soon began running in straight lines.

Professor Mackay-Sim says the successful research is however a “baby step” in the long journey towards effectively treating the disease.

He says the research is promising because all animals transplanted with the human cells had a dramatic reduction in the rate of rotation within just three weeks and none of the transplants led to tumours or teratomas in the rats, as has occurred after embryonic stem cell transplantation in similar experiments.

Professor Mackay-Sim says the breakthrough is not likely to lead to a cure as it offered a treatment for the symptoms rather than stopping the disease in the first place.

Parkinson’s disease is debilitating as it causes a loss of muscle control – it is currently treated with drugs that replace the essential chemical, dopamine, in the brain – but the drugs often become less effective with prolonged use.

Professor Mackay-Sim says the project indicates that healthy, non-specialised cells could change into whatever type of cell the body required.

Mackay-Sim says the cells injected into the rats changed into dopamine-producing nerve cells needed to fight the disease and the next step is trials to show the treatment was effective in a monkey – human trials are however still five to 10 years away.

Professor Mackay-Sim’s research has focused for many years on ‘neurogenesis’, the formation of new neurons, in the olfactory epithelium, the sense organ of smell.

He believes the continual regeneration of neurons in this tissue may shed light on the way the brain develops and on ways to repair or regenerate other parts of the nervous system.

His research has shown that stem cells from the human nose have the developmental potential normally accorded to embryonic stem cells.

His team have produced stem cells grown from people with schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, mitochondrial disorders and epilepsy, and hope they will provide tools for investigating the biological causes of these conditions.

The research is published in the journal Stem Cells.

Each Jump Was Dedicated

Friday, June 6th, 2008

Here is the list of jumps that were dedicated to certain individuals or groups from Kevin Burkart’s 100 jumps.  A few were left blank because that information has not been released, but I will update that information as I receive it.

1 Gary Burkart Kevin Burkart’s father. Diagnosed with PD in 1999. Kevin’s inspiration for The 100 Perfect Jumps for Parkinson’s Disease. This jump is sponsored by him and Monica Burkart.
The corporate sponsor for the first perfect jump is Minimizer, the working man’s fender, a manufacturer of premium truck fenders located in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota.
2 Ella Cotter Joe Cotter of Learner’s Edge, one of our sponsors, this is his grandmother, she grew up in the depression, suffered from PD, passed away in 1979 at the age of 80 from Parkinson’s and other related causes.

3 John Leslie Susie of Learner’s Edge, this is her father, recently diagnosed with PD.
4 Jackie Christensen Jackie lives with young on-set Parkinson’s. Diagnosed early, she has been able to take advantage of the Deep Brain Stimulation surgery.
Jackie is a close friend of Kevin’s and is here helping today.  She is the VP of the Parkinson Association of Minnesota board and is active in lobbying for the PD cause.

5 Dr. Gerhard Mundinger Granddaughter Erika Mundinger is packing today, Mr. Mundinger was effect by PD for 20 years and passed from complications. He lived from 1910 to 2000.

6 Those with Parkinson’s Disease This jump dedication is from Mike Sarafolean, a steering committee member and The Orion Corporation, one of our corporate sponsors today.

7 JoAnn Novack Friend of Nicole Vincent’s with Association for Corporate Growth. JoAnn’s life has been changed significantly by Parkinson’s Disease.

8 Harold Kissell In memory of Harold Kissell; a loving husband, wonderful father, and fun grandpa.  He lived with PD for 26 years.  Our dad was an excellent example of how to live a good life;
to love family, do what you enjoy, work hard, and most importantly – not to give up!
9 Russell Chorpening This jump is dedicated to Russell Chorpening, who is the newest member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson Disease Support Group.
Russell has bravely fought this devastating disease for the past dozen years.  Thank you Russell for displaying faith in the face of defying situations. Lydia (wife)

10 Ken Fuglestad Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

11 Don Harms Don was diagnosed with Parkinson Disease in 1990.  He and his wife, Judy, have been a part of the NWPDSG since its founding.
I admire Don so much for his determination to stay active and not let the disease win.  He stretches himself to the limit,
and only gives up when his body gives out!!  I love you, Don.  Judy (wife)

12 Vera Hoogen Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

13 Dick Kaufman Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

14 Bob Krueger Bob was diagnosed with PD two years ago.  He has a great attitude and goes with his life as usual, doing all the things he enjoys.
He is a wonderful example of he value of taking things a day at a time.  We are so proud of him.  Love, Rodene (wife)

15 Bob Norlin Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group
16 Judy Noskoviak Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

17 Paul Pedersen Member of the Northwest Wisconsin Parkinson’s Disease Support Group

18 Bruce Anderson Bruce Anderson was a member of the Hayward Area Parkinson’s Support Group.  He looked forward to these monthly sessions.  He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2001.
He passed away in August of last year, the result of a fall the previous week.  He had requested that all memorials be directed to the Parkinson Foundation.
Thanks Kevin for your efforts to this cause.  Ruth Anderson (wife)

19 Jeri Hanel The children of Jeri Janel are sponsoring in honor of their mother of Baker, MT.  She is 65 and has had Parkinson’s for 15 years.  She has five children
and 7 grandchildren.  Jeri is a school nurse and is still working part-time.  She is still very active and enjoys riding her bicycle whenever she can.
Her children and grandchildren are located in various states, so she spends a lot of time traveling to be with them.  She is a wonderful woman and a great inspiration.

20 Gary Burkart This popular guy received another honor jump sponsorship from Joyce Lasecke, owner of Fredrickson Communications. Joyce is good friend with Gary and wishes him all the best.

21 Harold Kissell This jump is dedicated to Harold Kissell by John & Jill Brecznski, whose family we have come to know over the past several years.  We’ve had the privilege to witness
their love and support of their father, Harold.  All are very involved with the Parkinson Association of MN.

22 All those living  Sponsored by Teva Neuroscience. Jessica Grussling, the regional sales director, has been an instrumental supporter of today’s event.
with Parkinson’s Disease

23 Myrtle Versluys Sponsored by Tradition Companies for grandmother of Missy Hilby.  Diagnosed 5 years ago.  Mother of 5, Grandmother of 19, and Great-Grandma to 30!

24 Leonard Joseph Le Tendre Sponsored by FutureStarCorp in memory of grandfather of Kelly Le Tendre.  Leonard was married to Alma who he always recognized to the very end.  Father of 4, Grandfather to 10 and Great-Grandfather to 8.

25 Harold Kissell In memory of Harold Kissell; a loving husband, wonderful father, and fun grandpa.  He lived with PD for 26 years.  Our dad was an excellent example of how to live a good life;
to love family, do what you enjoy, work hard, and most importantly – not to give up!
26 Kevin Burkart Sponsored by Curtis Reinhart (US Air Force Major), a life long friend of Kevin’s, in honor of Kevin who’s life has been changed by Parkinson disease.
It is a very noble and brave thing he is doing and being able to donate to his cause has been a true honor.

27 Werner Buckentin Uncle to Debi Neitzel-Waitkus, living with PD.  Werner loves his family network and still enjoys life at 90.

28 Bill Maser In loving memory of Bill Maser, husband to Doris and father to Kris, Doree & Kyle.  Bill lived with PD for 26 years.  He loved life and fought to keep PD from restricting his quality of life.
An avid supporter of the Parkinson Association of Minnesota, Bill attended numerous PAM events and fundraisers.  We miss you Bill.

29 Frank Richter Laine Lybeck from New York and the National Youth Science Foundation, his grandfather was diagnosed 11 years ago.  He grew up on a homestead and worked as a farmer,
husband, father, grandfather and friend.  Frank married Grace in 1950 and had 4 children and 12 grandkids.  Although the disease has taken away some of his ability to
certain activities he still puts on the record so we can all dance to the Chicken dance!  My grandfather has a wonderful sense of humor and has helped each of us whether
it was fixing a vehicle, reading a book or playing ping pong in his basement.  Thank you to my Grandpa for teaching me how to never give up.  I love you!

30 Struthers Parkinson’s Club This is a generous donation by Joan Hlas and recognizes the Club CREATE at Struther’s, an interactive day side care program for those suffering from PD.
CREATE Members & Families Struther’s is a National Center of Excellence in the treatment of PD.

31 Harold Kissell In memory of Harold Kissell; a loving husband, wonderful father, and fun grandpa.  He lived with PD for 26 years.  Our dad was an excellent example of how to live a good life;
to love family, do what you enjoy, work hard, and most importantly – not to give up!
32 Gertrude Ronsaberger Passed away from complications from Neurodegenerative Disease.  Her grandson is helping out today.

33 Willmar Area Parkinsons Support Group donated by Willmar Area Parkinson Support Group

34 Clients of Struthers Parkinson’s Center Donated by staff at Struthers Parkinson’s Center clinic, day program and other services

35 Leonard J Goswitz Father of John Goswitz, Leonard was born in 1916 and passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease in 1998.  He battled Parkinson’s for the last 10 years of his life.

36 All those living with Parkinson’s Disease This dedication is from Mark Theis with Ameriprise Financial in Shakopee, Minnesota.

37 Harvey Schuldt This name came to us as  result of the KARE 11 special last Saturday morning. We’re honored to jump in Harvey’s name.

38 John Monson Father of Eugene Monson diagnosed at 50 years and died at 71 years in 1961.

39 Gary Burkart Yet another jump honor for Gary Burkart from Craig Fjelsted, a long time colleague of Kevin Burkart’s (Burkartmania).
What a wonderful joy it has been knowing Mania and all he does for others!  Let the Mania continue!

40 Rita Cacic Diagnosed in her late 50’s and is not in her mid 70’s and living in assisted living residence.  Had a very difficult life, raised 5 children on little means and running a farm while her
husband worked construction.  Worked hard her entire life so it hard to see the frustrations of PD.

41 All those living with Parkinson’s Disease From Sophia and Parker Trobec of Afton, Minnesota. They wanted to show their  support for Kevin, a college friend of their parents Jannell and  Chris.

42 Dick Carlson Died of complications of PD eight years ago.  He was a great man who never complained about this debilitating disease.

43 Ervin Christensen Ervin was one of the true “class acts” of his generation.  He taught hundreds of children through teaching and eventually became an elementary principal, raised two beautiful daughters, and spent 54
wonderful years married to his wife.  He was a loving brother, uncle and Godfather to relatives and friends, and a beacon of inspiration with his faith belief – “to continue believing no matter what”.
He was a man that could light up a room and turn any mood around with his smile.  Ervin spent 81 years touching hundreds of people in an abundance of ways.  Husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle,
companion, teacher and most of all: an inspiration, he has and will continue to live on in our hearts forever.

44 Dean Harvey of LaCrosse, WI Passed away July 2, 2004.  Dedicated by his late wife Lois Harvey.  Dean was an air controlman during his Navy years and a Science teacher in the Winona School District.  .
We enjoyed jazz for over 40 yrs and would have celebrated our 57 Anniversary on May 29.

45 Charles Elton Lund In honor of his 85th birthday celebrated on June 1.  Charlie is a WWII Marine Corp veteran who fought in the South Pacific.
He and his wife Pat are actively involved in several PD support groups, always encouraging others in their experience with PD.
Charlie’s five children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are all extremely proud of his inspiring example and positive attitude in meeting and coping with the challenges of PD for over 20 years.

46 Donna (last name confidential) Jump sponsored by Donna’s high school friends.  Dedicated to Donna on her 58th birthday (today 6/4/08)

47 Floyd Laska Passed away from PD 6 years ago.  He was a WWII marine veteran that served in Iwo Jima.  He was a family man and a great husband/father.
We lost our Mom to cancer and Dad was never the same after he lost his best friend.  Knowing they are together in Heaven now does help with the loss.

48 Ray Anderson From St. Cloud.  Has been living with PD for 10 years.  It has been so hard on him and the family.  We need to find a cure for this awful disease!

49 John Knowles From Alexandria.  High School Principal and a good fishing buddy of DeWayne Bisek although no longer able to go to Canada on fishing trips.

50 Marlene Berge Garber family friend, diagnosed with PD in 2001, currently 70 years young

51 Rose Wichmann Physical Therapy Center – manages Struthers Parkinson Center

52 Gerry Glaser From Lake Nakomis area in Mpls who will be 62 in late June.  Donated by his sister Barb Lee.  Lived with symptoms of PD for quite a long time before being diagnosed approx. 5 years ago.
He retired from a very financial career 3 years ao and has courageously tried many options in dealing with the various symptoms with a very inspiring spirit.
He is very connected with the center in Golden Valley and has gained many special connections with a new family of friends.
He and his wife have 2 children (one a recent high school grad and the other a recent college grad).

53 Percy Paradis Dedicated by Judy Gatheridge on behalf of her dad who was diagnosed with PD after watching her grandfather’s life deteriorate due to the same.  The agony of this terrible disease is endless!

54 Barb Courts Dedicated by Deb Courts-Brown in honor of her Aunt.  Barb has been an avid world traveler in the past but PD now makes it too difficult to travel.
She likes to be around people but her speech problems and posture make it extremely hard.

55 Gary Burkart Donated by Ron & Cindy Pierson who admire Gary for his positive outlook on life, his good humor and generosity of his time and knowledge.
Gary is very special to us and we feel blessed to have him in our lives.

56 Mary Beth Leitze (pronounced Light-Z) Mother of Abbie Torbert

57 Velma Wuertz Donated by her family.  Velma was born in 1910 and lived in Austin, MN until just a few days short of age 92.  She and her husband raised 3 children.
She liked to play bridge, garden and bake (in her family’s opinion canned the best peaches, picked crabapples and a great apple pie).
Velma suffered from Alzheimer’s and needed care for 11 years.  She enjoyed music and loved spending time with her children, 7 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.
In her lifetime Velma experienced the amazing advancement from horse and buggy to space travel!
We hope that todays scientists will discover a cure for “diseases of the brain” and we will all realize the life changing benefits of this research in our lifetime.

58 Jim Korman This name came to us as  result of the KARE 11 special last Saturday morning. Kevin is honored to jump in Jim’s name.

59 Dena Modica Dena is a former member of the PAM  board of director’s and good friend of Kevin. She is a rare example of young-onset female PD. She is a small business owner and remains active.

60 Gary Burkart in honor of Gary L. Burkart from Brian & Nora Burkart, his son and daughter in law and Lois Burkart.  We hope and pray for continued good times in his retirement and that
medical science will continue to find new ways of treating, of slowing down the progression and of curing PD and hopefully someday will be able to prevent it.

61 Miloyd “Buddy” Dolezel of Redwood Falls was diagnosed in 2007, 4 years after he suffered West Nile disease.  Donated by Dave & Pat Rauenhorst.  Dad farmed his entire life and recently retired from the farming operation
which was most difficult as it was his life.  He currently has tremors in both of his hands and increasing weakness in his arms.  He works hard to be positive and I’ve noticed that he
has been enjoying life in ways he never allowed time for in the past, ie. Coffee with friends, getting more involved at home, taking an interest in my son’s activities and much more.

62 Matthew Gravin Going to be 50 years old and also has downs syndrome.  Kevin is happy to do this jump on behalf of the Kare 11 Special.

63 Father Jerry of Blessed Kevin is happy to do this jump through the Kare 11 Special that ran this past Saturday morning.
Sacrament of St. Paul

64 Joel Carley Passed away from complications of PD in 2003.  Was diagnosed 25 years, and was a pioneer for new treatments, to help with todays advances in the treatment of this disease.

65 Harvey Fisk From Ham Lake has lived with PD for 15-20 years

66 Gerald Dentinger dedicated by daughter Jacqueline Drummer to her Dad who was recently diagnosed.

67 Robert J. Newton dedicated by his daughter Su who saw the story on Kare 11 Saturday.

68 Stanley Jaworski in memory  from his daughter Laura Jaworski Cochrane

69 Elizabeth Westrich Dedicated by her husband and son, Elizabeth was diagnosed 11 years ago at age 57.  PD has changed our family in many ways.  All things considered her progression with this disease could be far worse.
She still drives a car, plays golf and works 3 days/week.  She is definitely fearful of the future but never complains.  She takes each day and does the best she can with it.

70 Joseph Hart Uncle of John Hanson of Twin Cities Live.  Joe is 75 years old and lives in Rosemount with his wife Myrt.  Diagnosed 8 months ago and after two difficult surgeries was hospitalized for 2 months but is finally home!
Sister-in-law Mary Allram dedicated this tribute to a great man!

71 Warren Schauer 86 years old, uncle of Connie Delato and lives in Afton, MN.  Currently living with PD.  Hopefully Warren was able to make it here today with his niece Connie.

72 John Focht Diagnosed with PD in 2003.  Currently 82 and resides in East St. Paul.  Uncle of Mark Hughes from Channel 5.

73 Russell Tanner Grandfather of Tracy Bruestle

74 June Sether Diagnosed with PD about 15 years ago.  She is 78 and currently lives in Fort Myers, FL but spend most of her life in St. Paul.  She is a great lady and Joanne Daubenspeck donated towards the PD cause.

75 Betty Cashman Betty was a former Early Childhoold Teacher and mother of three and is married to Pete.  She misses the life she had before PD took over.  She is a very giving, kind and humorous person and touched the lives of many
personally & professionally.

76 Harry Dinndorf A painter from St. Cloud who loved to play in the band, go to the lake fishing and have a beer with the family.  Donated by Sandy Dinndorf.  He touched the lives of other in both his professional and personal life.

77 Robert Christian Father of Ilyne (pronounced Eileen) Sandas, a licensed psychologist. Flyne saw Kevin on Twin Cities Live on Channel 5 and asked Kevin to do jump in Robert’s honor. Robert passed from complications from Parkinson’s Disease.

78 Marilyn Haugen Marilyn is the mother of Susanne Deitermann, a supporter today. Marilyn has lived in Mpls all of her life, she’s a graduate of
the Southwest High School and the University of Minnesota and taught Jr. High English at Edina High School before she retired and raised 4 kids.
She was married to Susie’s father John for 52 years and still lives in the same house in Edina that she and my dad built in 1950.

79 Robert F. Held Died of PD in Jan 2005 at age of 74 after 15 year battle with the disease.  Dad like many others was robbed of his retirement golden years by the disease.  We miss him dearly.
We also should not forget the tremendous efforts of the primary care givers (typically a spouse)  whose lives are forever altered when PD strikes.

80 Marcella Mickelson from Osakis, MN and a resident of Galeon Community nursing home.

81 Tom Alldrictt This name came to us as  result of the KARE 11 special last Saturday morning. We’re honored to jump in Tom’s name.

82 Gary Burkart in honor of Kevin’s Dad, Gary Burkart donated by Lynda Nervick.

83 Those living with PD in Montana donated by Skydive Lost Prairie.  Hoping and praying for a cure in Montana and everywhere in the world.

84 Wally Miller donated by Michele Roepke in honor of Wally Miller of Brooklyn Center, MN who had PD for 10 years from 1995 to 2005.  He was a great husband, father and grandpa.
We all miss him very much especially his grandchildren, Joseph, Michael, Tyler, Ben, Parker and Dayna.  We love you Dad!

85 Sam Nelson Donated by daughter Anne Falk in memory of Sam Nelson, a lifetime resident in the Baldwin area and worked for years as a calf buyer for the area farmers.  He wife Clara still resides in Baldwin.  Sam passed away June 17, 2000.
Sam was age 65 when the tremors began and he was diagnosed with PD.  He never allowed the Parkinson’s to control his life.  He faced his tremors.  They added a jig to his fishing line and a bounce that put the grandchildren to
sleep.  He took championships in horseshoe & billards, and could still shoot his deer. Sam embraced the challenges of PD without a complaint. He was hero to his family as he led an exemplary life of how to overcome adversity.
He received his medical management from Dr. Tuite at the Univ of Minnesota.  There are remarkable advancements since Sam passed and through research we are getting closer to a cure for the future generations.
Thank you Kevin for using your passion of skydiving to help raise money for the cure of Parkinsons.

86 Andy Stickney Donated by his wife Debra and their 11 year old son who live in Woodbury.  Andy has done a jump in Baldwin with his brothers prior to his diagnosis.  They support the cause because it affects them personally.

87 Mike Mikkelsen Jump is donated by  Mike’s good friend Skip Nordstrom.  Mike who resides in Bellingham, WA  will be celebrating his 75th Birthday this month and has been living with PD for the last 15 Years.  Happy Birthday Mike!

88 Ray Berg Donated by Brian Toder a fellow skydiving friend of Kevin Burkart.  Ray Berg of International Falls passed away this year with Parkinsons Disease and he was the world’s greatest high school art teacher who
inspired thousands.

89 Russell L. Keller Sr. Grandfather of Karen from Learner’s Edge.  Diagnosed in approx, 1947.  Lived in Akron, OH.  Died at age of 72 in approx. 1979.  He was a quiet man with a great sense of humor.

90

91 Steve Torok This name came to us as  result of the KARE 11 special last Saturday morning. We’re honored to jump in Steve’s name.

92 Stacy Williams Dedicated to Stacy Williams(volunteer) on her 38th Birthday TODAY (6/4/08) from her Mom, Jeri Hanel.

93 Helen M. Young In honor of my mother, Helen Mable Young who was diagnosed with PD in the year 2000 and is not in Stage 4. Jump was donated by Lauren Young. Helen lives with Parksinson’s related pain and dementia .
Helen practices acceptance and remains beautiful, kind and humorous in the face of adversity.
Helen is a breast cancer survivor and is dearly loved by her 4 children, 9 grandchildren, 2 sons in law and 1 daughter in law.
It is my honor and privilege to care for her through the cruelties of Parkinson’s Disease.  I love you Mom!

94 Michael Joseph Sarafolean A  prince of a guy from his son Michael John.

95 Mary Ellen Sarafolean Gone too soon, from her adoring husband and faithful scribe, Michael.

96

97

98 Larry Schueller In memory of Larry Schueller from his family, which includes his wife, one son, three daughters, two sons-in-law and two (soon to be three) grandchildren.  Larry, who passed away in March at the early age of
54 was born in Marshfield, WI and raised his family there on the second generation dairy farm. He was diagnosed with PD in 2005.  His wisdom and caring shaped our lives.  He inspired us with the strength
of his character, taught us love with his caring ways and created so many fun and memorable times with his humor and warmth.  We are very proud and thankful for your presence in our lives.  We love you
and hope researchers find a cure in this lifetime for other impacted by this disease!

99 Bill Garber Garber family Patriarch, diagnosed with PD in 2003, currently 85 years young. Kellie Garber is one of our ground crew coordinators today and Kevin’s main squeeze.

100 Gary Burkart The 100th Perfect Jump is sponsored by Lois Burkart, Kevin Burkart, Kellie Garber, Brian and Norita Burkart in honor of Gary and his struggle with PD.

The corporate sponsor for the 100th Perfect Jump for Parkinson’s Disease formation load is generously sponsored by the Association for Corporate Growth, Minnesota Chapter.

Recent Message from Kevin Burkart (His take on the 100 jumps)

Friday, June 6th, 2008

I just received this information from Kevin (He was as quick to respond to my email as he was between each jump (6-8 minutes if you didn’t read my last post :) ), so, now I really hope you’ll let him know how grateful your are for his jumps.

Caleb, here’s additional information I’ve been sending out:

The day started at 5:45am with the minimum 2000 foot ceiling. We were on 5 minute turn pace for each jump right away, completing 22 jumps by about 8am when the weather got worse. We then intermittently picked up 10 more jumps by 2pm. At that point I knew if the weather didn’t clear soon we were 50/50 on reaching the goal.

The weather did turn. And we executed 68 jumps in a row, the 100th being at 8:30pm with a formation load of 15 skydivers from full altitude (13,000 feet), we formed the number 100 in freefall. I landed last and got “pied” by my fellow skydivers (whip cream pie in your face when you do something significant like your 1000th jump, a tradition in skydiving).

A quick side note:
Weather makes skydivers do stupid things. And that happened to me. Our intermittent jumps during low ceiling periods caused me (us) to make some bad decisions. I (we) got away with it but it was sheer luck. Jumping from too low of an altitude with very little time for an out is a bad idea. I won’t write what we did here for obvious reasons.

The media was very kind to us. We were the beneficiary of a slow news day, an exciting, visual event, and a good story. Here’s a partial list:

KARE 11 Saturday morning in studio
Channel 5 Twin Cities Live in studio
Paul Harvey radio national
CNN national TV and radio (just came across the TV and radio, wow)
Fox News Twin Cities, Chicago, Houston and Milwaukee – live feed interviews on-site via $5000 satellite hook up they paid for for 4 hours
WCCO Radio
Channel 4 TV onsite live interviews
KARE 11 on site live interviews
Pioneer Press
Chicago Tribune
AM 1500 KSTP with Tom Mitschke (twice, last week and the day of)
Monday morning the Comcast national station will have me on a show – Big Idea, Small Town, live TV

Numerous other publications and Internet outlets have picked it up.

We raised the $45K we wanted to raise and we increased awareness for Parkinson’s Disease.

Thanks to our EO Chapter for their support, just amazing what a good group of people can do. I’m lucky to be a member.

Good photos here (credit to Daniel Rens, you have permission to use): http://aeternaphotography.com/100perfect/