Torquay resident Mark vanHamond will run in the Sydney Marathon this September to raise funds for Parkinson’s disease research.
Partnering with Shake It Up Australia, Mr vanHamond seeks to raise $38,000 to represent the 38 Australians diagnosed with Parkinson’s every day.
The founder of local disability support company eQuality Support, Mr van Hamond was inspired by his dad’s diagnosis with the disease in late 2021 to raise awareness and funds to support Parkinson’s research and treatment.
“Over 10 million people worldwide and 150,000 Australians are directly impacted by Parkinson’s, not to mention their friends and family,” Mr vanHamond said.
“I’m running for Parkinson’s because I want to make a difference and I want to inspire the community too. I believe that as a community we can do more together.”
World Parkinson’s Awareness Month in April focused on identification of lesser-known early warning signs and symptoms, which Mr vanHamond said could easily be overlooked.
“It’s important to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease because it can start out as something small or something that could be glanced over,” Mr vanHamond said.
“If I can encourage the community to look out for these signs or share their own story of Parkinson’s, I’d be really happy.”
Common symptoms of Parkinson’s include tremors, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination, while uncommon symptoms can include smaller handwriting, a loss of smell, a change in voice volume and difficulty sleeping.
Mark’s fundraising page can be found at sm23.grassrootz.com/shakeitup/mark-vanhamond.
