by Zachary Gobst CEO at Leapcure

At this moment there are 163 Phase 1-3 Parkinson’s Disease clinical trials (with 100+ active in the US). There’s an encouraging amount of research funded, bolstered by advocacy groups like the Parkinson’s Foundation who has invested more than $368 million in Parkinson’s disease research and clinical care in the past 60+ years. There are also hundreds of grassroots advocacy groups, key opinion leaders and health influencers worldwide also supporting the cause.

Even though so much is being done, we cannot lose sight of the struggles that Parkinson’s patients and their loved ones face. 60,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with PD annually. While there are treatments that can help manage and improve quality of life for Parkinson’s patients, there isn’t a cure for the disease today that causes a decline in motor skills and a series of mental health challenges including dementia. 

It’s a condition my grandfather had at the end of his life. I was very young when I interacted with my grandfather, but I know that it wasn’t easy on my parents hearing what they had to go through in his final years. The symptoms were rough: included tremors, difficulty eating, and difficulty speaking… and those were just the ones that were visible. 

This month is a time for us to be cognizant of where we are with Parkinson’s Disease, the people who suffer from it, and the families/caregivers supporting loved ones with it. It’s also a time to think about where we are with Parkinson’s research and where we want to be in the near future as a society – let’s use this month as a time to build more momentum and keep fighting for a cure.