Day 6-Kelowna to Vernon (50ish km)

Here is the trip stats 

(http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/68675941?country=ca&lang=en&measure=metric&fb_action_ids=10151100198860127&fb_action_types=endoapp:track&fb_source=timeline_og

The bike ride was extremely easy today! The rain decided to join me for most of the day, but I only had a few kilometers to cycle and a strong tail wind made for a great day.

When we arrived in Vernon, we were welcomed by smiles and cookies from members of the Parkinson’s support group in Vernon! The family we stayed with tonight, Elle and Pat Dean, are very involved in the Parkinson’s support group in Vernon, and I thank Elle very much for organizing a group of friendly faces to be there for my arrival!!!!

Vernon is a very beautiful place! Elle and Pat have a home that overlooks the city, mountains, and parts of Lake Okanogan and Lake Kalamalka. Lake Kalamalka is supposed to be one of the most vibrantly coloured lakes around, but I didn’t get to see that because the sky was overcast. Lake Okanogan is the home of Ogopogo, so I was saying to Pat that maybe if I swam in the Okanogan, Ogopogo could help Parkinson’s Cycle of Hope out with some publicity by eating my arm or something (kidding)!

I really enjoyed the beauty of Vernon, BC and our hosts were incredible! We enjoyed a magnificent salad followed by a nice cut of salmon on pasta. These folks were spoiling us, but more importantly they provided me with all kinds of valuable information to bring back to my dad.

By the time Parkinson’s symptoms appear, you have already lost 80% or more of the dopamine-producing cells in your brain. From what I understand there is no test to say you have Parkinson’s disease and we still don’t know the cause; however, we know that Parkinson’s affects each individual differently. I have met many individuals who have been diagnosed for X number of years, but after they are diagnosed and start recognizing common symptoms that lead them to believe they had Parkinson’s for X years before being diagnosed.

One thing I want to stress is there is much more to Parkinson’s disease than simply shaking and NOT every person with Parkinson’s has visible tremors. I still know very little about PD, but something I learned today was that people can have “inside tremors” where they feel like they are shaking internally, but nobody can tell from an external view.

This is an anonymous quote from someone living with Parkinson’s disease:

“You look at me and get annoyed that I move slowly, but you can move quickly if you want to. I know I am moving slowly and it is frustrating as hell because I want to move quickly but can’t. It may take me hours to get dressed in the morning, and there is no way I could continue doing my job.”

I’m thankful that I’m able to bike across Canada at this current time in my life. I know that I can push my body to limits and wake up the next day fairly recovered. The saying, “Mind over body” works to my advantage when cycling. Unfortunately, “mind over body” can become a daily challenge for someone who wakes up with Parkinson’s every day. I can’t imagine how frustrating this must be. 

 The statement above is a clear reminder of the need to be respectful of the needs of each individual, because you can’t judge a book by its cover and you don’t know what is going on. SLOW DOWN…you don’t always need to go 110%...you may think you are in a hurry, but you can accommodate the needs of those not as fast-moving as you, simply by planning ahead of time. Patience you busy beavers! Patients will not kill you.