Dr Claire Stevens spent over three years completing her PhD in Parkinson's disease to try and find a cure to help people like her dad.
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So taking part in an Amazing Race-style event around the University of Wollongong campus on April 4 to raise funds for Parkinson's research, should be a piece of cake.
The Race 4 Research event, to be run by the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) and UniActive to mark Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, was launched on Wednesday
In Australia, 37 people are diagnosed with Parkinson's each day.
The statistic hits close to home for IHMRI researcher Dr Stevens, whose father Graham has lived with the disease for nearly 20 years.
"I completed my PhD in Parkinson's disease because of my dad. I figured if I'm going to spend my life, or at least three and a half years researching something I wanted it to be for a really good reason," she said.
Five years ago her father received deep brain stimulation: electrical signals implanted into the brain.
The procedure significantly improved Graham's most debilitating symptoms - his ability to walk and tremors. However, the procedure is a once off treatment and as with neurodegenerative disorders, the brain will continue to get worse over time.
Dr. Stevens said that an event like Race 4 Research helps the community understand how vital research funds are for her on a career and a personal level.
"Without past medical research we wouldn't have the medication or deep brain stimulation my dad has received," she said.
"We need more funding and more fabulous research, like what [Professor Heath Ecroyd} does, so we can get closer to that cure. If not a cure, even better treatments will give people a better quality of life for longer,"
Professor Ecroyd, whose research involves understanding Parkinson's at the molecular level, said community events are vital in making a difference.
"The research we are doing right here in the Illawarra is world class and can make a difference," he said.
"By engaging with the community, including people suffering from Parkinson's disease and their families, it highlights to us how important our work is to people's lives and it inspires us to work harder towards a treatment."
Race 4 Research registrations cost $100 per group. All fees plus donations on the day go to Prof Ecroyd's research into Parkinson's disease at IHMRI.
Visit ihmri.org.au to register.
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
