In 2008, Haddonfield resident Ken Kolaski went to his annual physical and told his doctor he had difficulty writing and his right arm felt heavy and slow moving. His doctor recommended he get a neurological exam, and from that exam, he found out at the age of 49 he had Parkinson’s disease.
“I told him you’re crazy. At 49, my world was turned upside down,” Kolaksi said.
He had achieved the position of senior partner at the law firm of Reed Smith and was a happy, humorous family man with a wife and three children. A debilitating, chronic illness was not what he had pictured for himself at this stage of life.
However, despite the disease, Kolaski is doing great things. He is not only spreading the word about Parkinson’s, he is also helping any way he can to find a cure. On Saturday, Oct. 11, Kolaski, along with family and friends under the name Team Kolaski, will walk in Moving Day Philly: A Walk to Stamp Out Parkinson’s on MLK/West River Drive in Philadelphia. Kolaski is using all his networking and persuasion skills to convince friends, neighbors and colleagues to join his team and donate to help the National Parkinson’s Foundation in finding a cure.
When Kolaski found out he had Parkinson’s disease, he was shocked and scared.
“Parkinson’s is a movement disorder and slowly robs your ability to move, and I was always athletic. I played football and always prided myself in my workout. Having a disease that is slowly taking away my ability to move is hard to take,” Kolaski said.
Although Kolaski’s father had Parkinson’s and the disease is genetic, what he and his father had is called Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, which means they don’t know what causes or caused the disease. Kolaski, with his great sense of humor, said he joked with the doctors during his exam and about the name of the disease, which, according to Kolaski, they didn’t appreciate.
“Humor and laughter is one way of getting through the hard parts,” Kolaski said.
Kolaski, with his humor, big smile and dogged determination, kept the diagnosis quiet for a year before sharing it with friends and colleagues. Afterward, he was amazed by the amount of support he was getting.
His firm became a sponsor of the Moving Day Philly walk, saying another co-worker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s years before Kolaksi. Haddonfield Memorial High School, where Kolaski’s daughter Elizabeth goes, is showing its support of Kolaski as well. The Interact Club held a bake sale where the club matched proceeds it raised with its own funds to donate toward the Kolaski Team. Also, the National Honor Society took on Parkinson’s as its service project.
“For every person in the Honor Society who raised $50, I would match that if they came and walked in the event. I don’t know how many are going to sign up for that yet, but it’s in support of not only me, but of my daughter,” Kolaski said. “It was at the initiative of the kids. They came to the faculty and wanted to help out. They’re unbelievably mature and generous for high school students.”
For the walk so far, Kolaski has raised slightly more than $7,800. As this is his second year participating, he is hoping to raise $8,500, which is $1,000 more than last year.
According to Kolaski, Moving Day Philly: A Walk to Stamp Out Parkinson’s is a gentle three-mile walk around West River Drive. The walk is not for time or to race, but is a visible way of supporting those who have the disease. Kolaski has to use a walker, and there are people in wheelchairs who are participating along with family and friends. This all together creates more than 1,500 people in the walk.
“I can’t describe the feeling of that many people walking. It’s inspirational. You get much more out of it by participating,” Kolaski said. “People who move change the world. Movement is key for those with Parkinson’s.”
Kolaski described Parkinson’s as a “move it or lose it” situation. Through exercise and therapy, the body produces dopamine, which is what those with Parkinson’s are lacking. So exercise is greatly encouraged, through such mediums as dancing, tai chi and stationary bicycling. However, as much as that helps, those diagnosed with the disease still need to take medication, and it was through funding and research that a new drug was found.
“One of the drugs that came as a result of recent research has reduced the death of the cells that produce dopamine by 20 percent. My doctor told me that I would have 15 to 20 good years, and with that extra five years from the drug, that’s five more Christmases with my family,” Kolaski said.
Progress can be made every day. Kolaski’s next chapter in life includes spreading the word about early on-set Parkinson’s disease and rallying support for the walk. Kolaski recommends those diagnosed with Parkinson’s go to one of the National Parkinson’s Centers of Excellence because doctors there specialize in Parkinson’s and other doctors might not be giving them the treatment they need. To join the Kolaski Team or to donate, go to www.movingdayphilly.org.
