GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Parkinson's Disease affects one in every 100 people over age 60. The number is startling, but even more alarming are the questions that remain about what causes the disease and the best way to treat it.
No one knows the exact cause of Parkinson's Disease and sadly, there's no cure. But there is help!
WFMY News 2 Contributor Scott Silknitter from Caregiving 101 lost his father to the disease after a twenty year battle.
"It's a neurological disorder that affects body movement. People most commonly know the tremors. It may cause you to become very stiff or rigid and it effects how you move, eventually some folks can develop dementia. So it's a progressive disease that there's just no cure for and that's what we're hoping the money raised from this will go towards funding," he said.
Silknitter teamed up with Evan Cutler and the Cutler Foundation to help raise more than $100 million to find a cure for Parkinson's. Cutler's father also died from the disease after a 14 year battle.
The 10.10.10 challenge began as Cutler's personal push-up challenge to do 100 push-ups every day for life to honor his late father Keith and his mother Arleen who was his dedicated caregiver.
”If I can do one million push-ups, and I will, then we should be able to get the rest of the world to do 100 million! And while we’re at it, let’s raise 100 million dollars,” said Cutler.
The idea behind the challenge is to record and share a video or picture of you doing 10 pushups, tagging 10 friends and giving $10. You can use the #101010 to share the video and then go to www.my101010.org to make your donation.
Multiple partners are involved in the Pushups4Parkinsons global 10.10.10 Challenge. The Cutler Foundation is joining the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Parkinson’s Foundation, Caregiving 101, Relias Academy, Brian Grant Foundation, Parkinson’s Queensland and other organizations in promoting the campaign, already underway.
You can also take part in the Global Challenge Day planned for October 10, 2018, with the goal of uniting people around the world to simultaneously do push-ups at 10:10 a.m. The goal is to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for most pushups at one time.
“We’re going to engage the world to have some fun and improve our health, all while providing funding to educate, enrich and improve the lives of caregivers and those with Parkinson’s” says Cutler.
If you who have questions about Caregiving or Parkinson's Disease make sur you reach out to Scott Silknitter for helpful resources. His email is Scott@Caregiving101.com