Ashley's February 2010 Run for Parkinson's Disease
I decided to run the New Orleans Mardi Gras Half Marathon this past Sunday in honor of my dad, John LeBlanc.
My dad was diagnosed with an advanced variant of Parkinson's/ Alzheimer's disease in May 2007. Since then, my dad, who is only 56, has retired due to his illness and unfortunately, it appears that his medications have not been able to slow the progression of his disease. My dad has always been a very generous person and was always looking for ways to help others. In that same spirit, I decided to do my part in helping those who suffer from Parkinson's by raising money for the Thomas Hartman Foundation. Our family chose this foundation because we wanted to support a charity that was dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease, while remaining within the Catholic Church's parameters on stem cell research. My dad is a devout Catholic, and wanted me to be sure that I did my due diligence in finding a charity that supported adult stem cell research, but NOT embryonic stem cell research. After a bit of research, I found the Thomas Hartman Foundation which was founded by a Catholic priest who had Parkinson's and was committed to curing Parkinson's while adhering to the Catholic Church's teachings on stem cell research.
Thanks to the generosity of my family and friends, I was able to raise over $16,500.
The responses I received were truly inspiring. People are always asking how they can help me and my family through this tough time, and this provided them the perfect opportunity to help.
I am so grateful to have such an incredible family, and such a supportive group of coworkers and friends. We even received a donation from a complete stranger on the day of the race! A woman saw our sign saying we had raised money for Parkinson's research, and it turns out that her husband had done something similar in the past and after meeting my dad she was so touched that she wrote us a check right then and there! It has been a wonderful experience and my family and I thank the Thomas Hartman Foundation for their continued efforts to help find a cure for Parkinson's.
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