In late 2010, Jim was 53 and had just started an exciting new job in Tokyo, Japan. He was too busy to notice other early symptoms of Parkinson’s but began to notice that his left hand was less coordinated in simple tasks like buttoning his shirts.

It took nearly 10 years before someone diagnosed Julie with Parkinson’s at age 54. She saw specialist after specialist, endured countless prescriptions, MRIs and surgeries, but no one could figure it out.

Pat’s wife Cidney was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2010 at the age of 47 after a four-year journey to a diagnosis. Cidney came across the Davis Phinney Foundation as she was researching Parkinson’s, and together she and Pat actively embraced the Foundation’s philosophy of living well today.

Sree was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) in 2015 but knew something was not working properly in her body years beforehand, when she noticed non-motor symptoms in her 20s and motor symptoms in her 30s.

Around 2014, Chris noticed slight changes in the way he moved. He was very slow getting into and out of his car, periodically shuffled his feet when he walked, and found he could no longer stand at a sink without leaning on it. Chris attributed these symptoms to aging and normal fatigue, and because they didn’t prevent him from going about his normal physical routine, he didn’t think too much of these slight changes.

After a second carpal tunnel surgery proved ineffective in solving his hand dexterity issues, Barry underwent further testing with a neurologist and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2012. A technology teacher at the time, Barry depended heavily on his hands to do his work. Worried that his diagnosis would have a negative impact on his job, Barry kept his Parkinson’s from his colleagues and students for four years.

Jill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005 at the age of 42. She had young children at the time and was running a successful staffing company in the Denver metro area. She soon discovered she carries a gene associated with Parkinson’s, LRRK2, shared with her mother and sister who are also living with Parkinson’s.