Soon, McSwiney and Hobbs hope to pull in such celebrity sufferers as Fox to mobilize a nationwide fund-raising effort. The truth about Parkinson's is not what we saw on TV with Michael J. Fox. The disease is real, and it forced Ben to resign from his job at the height of his career. It might start with a finger tremor, but it progresses until eventually medication has no effect. Parkinson's is a brain disease that damages cells which produce dopamine, the brain chemical that controls movement.
Patients experience tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement and impaired balance.
Such was the case with McSwiney, who spent a number of years hiding behind the mask of drug therapy, premature exits or delayed entrances while in the public eye. Daunted by the tireless pressure of corporate travel, the disease eventually won. Part of McSwiney's busy schedule included tutorials from Strittmatter on the intricacies of the disease. A month ago, he made his first polished, PowerPoint presentation to executives of a local company. From that initial presentation and his already established corporate connections, McSwiney is now ready to visit more than 100 companies, including the international chain Car Quest.