CHARLESTON, W.Va (WCHS) — Family is something Jan Safford holds very close to her. With dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren, she intends to watch them grow up despite having Parkinson’s disease.
“It’s made me want to work even harder to do the best I can to stay as fit as I can,” Safford said. “They tell me that if we exercise big, big exercise, it will help.”
As former art teacher, she said her body started to feel heavy one day and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
“I mentioned it to my doctor, and he said, ‘We’ll watch it. It could be Parkinson’s,’ and as it turned out, it was,” she said.
11 years later, Safford is still battling Parkinson’s, but she’s not alone. Her granddaughter, Elle Blankenship, has taken it upon herself to do whatever she can to help her grandmother through the storm.
“It’s really hard to stay active when you have such a bad, terrible disease every single day,” Blankenship said. “I have encouraged her to continue to walk and get moving.”
Blankenship organized the first annual Parkinson’s Community Walk in Coonskin Park to get people moving and raise awareness.
“I really want to raise awareness and also funds for Parkinson’s disease because it all goes towards research in hopes of finding a cure,” she said.
Safford said she’s grateful for her granddaughter’s unwavering support, strengthening the bond between them.
“I’m glad for this opportunity and I’m glad that I shared it with Elle,” she said. “I love for a lot.”
If you or someone you know is suffering with Parkinson’s disease, you can go to the WV Parkinson’s Disease website for more information and local resources.
