Hartford School is volleying to raise funds for its cherished secretary to attend the Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York City later this month.
Debbie Flamini, 55, a long-time resident of Mt. Laurel and secretary for the past 14 years, was diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s disease two years ago.
The disease has been a challenge, but the students, administrators and teachers at the school have made it easier for Flamini to cope.
“This place is just wonderfully supportive,” she said. “Everyone’s just great. It’s a great atmosphere.”
School lends a hand
On April 17, at 7 p.m., fifth-grade teachers will compete against sixth-grade teachers in a best-of-three series of games of volleyball fundraiser, she said. The cost of admission is $4 per person and is open to the public. All proceeds will be put toward Flamini’s Unity Walk team, “Debina’s Movers & Shakers.”
Paul Devery, one of the advisers for the student council, said the school is showing compassion to a colleague in need who has always been a helping hand through the years.
“Student council members are promoting the event, the art club has designed posters and staff donated all refreshments being sold that night,” Flamini said in a statement.
Her goal is to raise $10,000 prior to the April 28 walk.
As of April 3, she said, she’s raised about $7,500.
According to the statement, all of the money raised at the walk will be designated for research purposes.
The diagnostic process
Although Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease much earlier than Flamini, she said most people do not get Parkinson’s until after age 60.
Flamini has always been active, from biking to exercise class, to yoga.
“I bike with a group,” she said. “I started having trouble keeping up with the group.”
When this happened, she explained, she imagined there was something wrong with the bike itself.
“I still thought it wasn’t me,” she said.
Her peers began noticing a change in her gait, she said.
“People in my exercise class started asking, ‘What’s wrong? You’re not moving quite the same.’”
She decided to visit a neurologist in nearby Medford.
He, in turn, recommended she visit a doctor located at Columbia University in New York.
“And he’s the one who diagnosed me,” with Parkinson’s disease, she said.
In a homemade YouTube video posted in January 2011, Flamini said, “I had some neuro problem, some disease to be dreaded.”
She expressed sadness toward her slowed coordination in the video, and said, “It’s a lonely journey, being so young with P.D.”
In the early days after her diagnosis, she said, “I was having difficulty moving. I was having trouble walking, trouble typing.”
Prescription power
A short time ago, she decided to begin taking the prescription drug Sinemet, which is commonly used for the disease. Originally, she was hesitant to take the drug because of its strong nature. It is a combination of carbidopa and levodopa, she said.
“Within 12 hours, I felt better,” she said. “It’s made a tremendous difference.”
However, she is aware that the medicine is not a cure.
As the disease progresses, her doctor told her the medicine will have less of an effect on her symptoms.
“When it crosses into the brain, it is converted into dopamine, which is what I am slowly losing with the Parkinson’s,” she said. “Over time, however, as my dopamine drops further, I will require more and more medication — and it will not last as long.”
How long that process will take is uncertain.
“There’s no telling from person to person,” she said. “It could be years, it could be decades. There’s no way to know” how long the medicine will work properly.
Flamini’s says she hopes her statement to the community will define the disease for better understanding.
“So what exactly is Parkinson’s disease?” it asked. “Simply put, certain nerve cells in the brain are damaged and do not work as they should. These nerve cells produce a chemical called dopamine which allows messages to be sent throughout the body to coordinate body movements. For someone with Parkinson’s disease, dopamine levels are low, so the body doesn’t get the right messages needed to move normally.”
Living with Parkinson’s
Flamini has been attempting to regain her former activities over time.
She does yoga to help relax her body, she said.
“I’m back biking,” she happily said. “My husband and I bought a tandem. We’re really having fun with it.”
She has also returned to her step aerobics class, an activity she enjoyed for 20 years previously, after a year away from it.
Although many Parkinson’s sufferers encounter depression, Flamini says she hasn’t, because of her supportive husband and work environment..
“People tip-toe around it — and then it’s harder for them to talk about it,” she said.
Individuals should be up front with people who have the disease, she added, especially since April is designated Parkinson’s Awareness Month.
“Being proactive to raise awareness and money for research keeps me hopeful, and inspiring others with Parkinson’s helps me stay positive,” she said.
Debbie’s new friend
A year and a half ago, Flamini found Katrina Allison, of San Marcos, Texas, after searching for support from sufferers around her age on the American Parkinson’s Disease Association’s people to people online program.
Allison is the other part of “Team Debina.”
They will meet for the first time on April 27, a day prior to the New York City walk.
“I feel a responsibility to raise awareness and for people to realize that Parkinson’s is not just somebody’s grandfather,” she said of her disease while seated at her desk at Hartford School. “I wanted to put a younger face to it.”
Help or Get Help
• Donations can be made in care of Hartford School with checks payable to “Parkinson’s Unity Walk,” 397 Hartford Road, Mount Laurel, 08054.
• Anyone younger than 60 with Parkinson’s looking for support can contact Flamini at [email protected].
Learn more about Parkinson’s disease on the association’s website, www.apdaparkinson.org.
For more information about the unity walk, visit www.unitywalk.org.
