We were diagnosed on November 29, 2016, and the very next day purposed to join a support group to help us deal with and understand this disease. That was our first encounter with Parkinson Association of Alberta. I contacted them, and within a couple of days a client services coordinator contacted me and planned a one-on-one meeting. She told me of a support group meeting held in my area and about all the other supports offered by PAA.
My husband and I took in as many seminars as we could and attended the monthly support group. We were greeted with compassion as we poured out our hearts to our fellow support group attendees as well as by each facilitator of every seminar we attended. We were sponges for information and everyone we encountered along the way obliged us with answers to our questions or information on where to find the answers we needed.
We have attended Hope Conference and our local Step ‘n Stride events and continues to attend our local support group here in the Central Alberta area. We have been blessed with so much help along our journey by PAA that we are now able to help others that are newly diagnosed with Parkinson disease as well as provide additional information to those that have had the disease for many more years than we have, all thanks to the support and staff of Parkinson Association of Alberta. If not for their quick, compassionate and knowledgeable response and support, there is no telling where we would be today.
