The day that changed my life: July 6, 1983 or What causes Parkinson's?

If you are reading this, I'm guessing you or someone you know has Parkinson's.  After diagnosis, one of the many thoughts running through your mind is "how did I get it?"   Unfortunately, there are not a lot of answers, but every year we seem to find a few more sources.  Here's some information on what can cause Parkinson's and what may have caused mine.

Every summer when I was in high school and into college, my Dad and I would take a bicycle tour.  One favorite was the five-day trip to the Thousand Islands in northern New York.  It would take two days to ride up to the islands.  We would spend a day relaxing, then ride the two days back.  One year we found out about a large bicycle rally in Paris, Ontario, Canada.  We organized a 9-day trip for that summer and planned on meeting my uncle and cousins in Buffalo.  The ride up was enjoyable and riding your bike across the Rainbow Bridge in front of Niagra Falls is spectacular.  The rally was fun, consisting of lots of day rides with hundred's of other bikers.  We even took a night ride.  If you've never ridden a bike at night you should try it once, with lights of course.  You may be going just 15 mph, but you feel like you're going 30.   The last and ninth day on the road we were finally headed home and it just happened to be my Dad's 48th birthday.

It feels strange to think of my Dad as 48 years old.  At that moment in time, my Dad was three years younger than I am right now (and in MUCH better shape).  I never think of my parents age in relation to when they were my age.  I was 19 then and he was, well... Dad, not a guy in his late 40's.    My kids think I'm weird for coming up with these random thoughts, but it's stuff like this that keeps me up at night! 

Okay, back to what was supposed to be the last day of the trip.  Dad and I are headed for home after what was a great week on the road however I wasn't feeling my self that day.  My stomach was upset and I was dragging behind my Dad all morning. As the younger one, I am normally up front setting the pace and hopefully blocking the wind.  No, today, I was struggling and riding about 25 feet behind my Dad. We got about halfway home, just southeast of Batavia, NY on Route 5 in the little town of Pavilion when suddenly everything went black.
I'll pause right here to re-ask the question, "so, just how do you get Parkinson's?"  And, "why me?"  While the exact cause has yet to be discovered, there are a few factors scientists have discussed (click to go to the sources):

• Genetics
• Tainted drug use
• Pesticide exposure and also here
• Head injury

And if you don't fall into one of those buckets, you join the Idiopathic Parkinson's or the 'we have no idea why you have it, but you do' club.  Don't worry, you would not be alone, as the huge majority falls into this category.


So for me:
Genetics - I got into a free trial with  23 and me.  The results said I am at a reduced risk to develop Parkinson's from 6 of the 8 measured genotypes (LRRK2, etc). A slightly elevated risk in two of them (SNCA, PARK12).  Until more is learned though we can say genetics is probably not the cause.

Drugs - never touched them, tainted or otherwise

Pesticide exposure - I've used my fair share of Roundup® around the house, but I doubt that's what they are talking about

Head Injury -  Hmmm, now where was I with that story?

My Dad tells me it was the worst sound he ever heard.  A guy in a pickup leaned over to pick something off the floor, wasn't paying attention and drove into the back of me at highway speed.  They found me unconscious in a ditch, my bike partially mangled.  The only thing I remember from the remainder of that day is getting shaken awake under bright lights of the emergency room.  The sheriff needed to know which side of the white line I was on so he knew how to write the ticket.  I don't remember this, but I'm told my response was "ask my Dad."  The next day I woke up with a lot of pain, a bunch of scrapes, some muscle atrophy and a concussion (yes, I was wearing a helmet).  Some birthday this turned out to be for my Dad.  Six days in the hospital and a month recovery at home and I was fine.  Or so I thought.  Unless they remove my brain and look at it under a microscope the Doctors can't tell if the concussion was the cause of my Parkinson's.  Although I would really like to know for sure, I'm not quite that desperate yet to find out.  I'll just stick to my neurologists claim that the concussion is probably it.

Up next:  Telling your employer plus LOTS of links