Pushing Forward Parkinson's Awareness with Dr. George Ackerman

Dr. George Ackerman lost his mother to Parkinson’s disease and refused to let her story end there. His promise became Together For Sharon, a family-driven platform for Parkinson’s awareness, caregiver support, and education that now reaches thousands of people searching for answers and community.Advocacy is not optional when research depends on funding. George shares what it’s like to go to the Capitol as a Parkinson’s advocate, what he learned through the Michael J. Fox Foundation community, and why Parkinson’s research funding should stay bipartisan. We talk about the fight for better diagnosis, including progress toward biomarkers, the harm of misdiagnosis, and the hope for a simple test that can catch Parkinson’s earlier.Then we go where it hurts and where it helps: the caregiving reality. George describes dealing with medication changes, mobility trouble, and what families face across the stages and symptoms of Parkinson’s. The power of consistent outreach to elected leaders provides hope for a cure.For more on Dr. George Ackerman:Together For SharonSupport the showOut Of The Blue:Exclusive content: outoftheblue-thepodcast.org/blog