A registered nurse, helping patients is part of Jackie Russell’s job. However, a personal experience has made helping patients with Parkinson’s disease her life.
it was 1982 when Russell watched a family member fight Parkinson’s. Russell says the disease stole her mother-in-law’s life – but not her spirit.
“it was so unfair,” she recalls. “it was my personal experience with PD, and i hated it.”
Since then, Russell spends her time volunteering to help those afflicted with Parkinson’s. She has spoken about the disease at conferences across the country, and volunteers her time at a weekly exercise class specifically designed for PD patients.
Perhaps her biggest accomplishment is a project completed in 2007. After working for a doctor who had retired due to complications of Parkinson’s disease, Russell collaborated with Dr. David Zid on a DVD and book titled Delay the Disease: Exercise and Parkinson’s Disease. The program outlines a fitness agenda designed to change the course of the disease.
Robenalt says the response from Parkinson’s patients after teaching class or speaking at an event that keeps her motivated. “There is nothing more gratifying,” she says. “Nothing.”
“i guess it’s the nurse in me that likes to help people.” ▪