Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

Parkinson's Awareness

Kamloops woman shares experience with Parkinson’s disease

Apr 25, 2019 | 5:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

Parkinson’s is a degenerative neurological disease that affects around 13,000 people in B.C. It may cause tremors, stiffness, or balance issues.

There is currently no known cure for Parkinson’s, but there are medications that help control the symptoms.

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In 1995, local woman Rendy Olthuis began experiencing some changes in the way her body was able to move.

“I used to run recreational long distance running and my left foot started hitting the ground really funny, like flopping and I just couldn’t control it,” she said. “And, when I was cycling, my left leg would come right out of the stirrup sort of uncontrollably.”

Eight years later, Olthuis was diagnosed with dystonia, a neurological movement disorder often associated with Parkinson’s disease.

“It really didn’t affect me that much until maybe the last few years,” Olthuis said. “It’s a progressive disease and it’s really progressing, so I don’t run anymore, we still do a lot of walking, uphill mostly, well I guess you have to come downhill too. But, we still try to remain as active as we can, because that’s really the best medication for Parkinson’s is exercise.”

Neither Rendy nor her husband Brian had anticipated the extent to which the disease would progress.

“One of the worst things is that all of a sudden she freezes, sometimes in the day and she just has to lie down,” Brian said. “I didn’t know, I guess neither of us did at the very beginning … but yeah, that was a big shock, as we’re going through that right now in fact.”

Despite her tremors, shakiness and balance issues, Rendy creates intricate pieces of art through rug hooking, a hobby she picked up after her diagnosis.

She also facilitates a support group.

“It’s a group that is called the Kamloops Parkinson’s Awareness Group because part of its mandate is to spread awareness of the disease, and to let everyone know it’s not just an old person’s disease, it also affects people in their 30s, 40s, 50s,” Rendy said. “It’s not uncommon for people relatively young to be diagnosed.”

The group focuses on living well with the disease, something Rendy and Brian try to do every day.

“Just try to be positive,” Rendy said. “You don’t want to be down in the dumps all the time. You want to put a happy spin on things. There are worse things.”

For more information on Parkinson’s disease click here.