L-R: Amy Sara Richardson, Julie Gentz, Lana Todd, Paul Morgan

Diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease came as an initial relief for an Ainsworth resident in 2020, as it took a couple of specialists and several misdiagnoses before confirming she had the neurodegenerative disorder.

Amy Sara Richardson was diagnosed at 46 years old, while an estimated 4% of people with PD are diagnosed before age 50, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. Richardson experienced symptoms of PD for several years, and was misdiagnosed for seizures and multiple sclerosis, though all her blood tests came back as normal. From a young age she has been very active in her community, serving as a swim team volunteer, city council member, and school parent board member, when due to her declining health in 2019, she was forced to give her job and all of that up. She described it as falling off a cliff, and once the pandemic began, she had to meet with her neurologist and conduct movement tests virtually, “When you’re younger it could be something else. I had to have so many tests before they would actually even say, ‘Yeah, this is Parkinson’s.’ My movement disorder specialist was able to do like you said, those walking tests, and tapping your finger and there’s other tests that they do and she was like, ‘Yeah, you have it, but let’s rule out everything else.’”

While searching for local resources online, Richardson came across a KCII article that provided contact information for Washington resident Julie Gentz, who leads a PD support group that meets from 3-4:30 p.m. on the last Thursday of the month at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington. As Richardson represents a rare subset of those with PD, it took her about nine months to work up the courage to attend a meeting. She’s grateful since then to have gotten to know Gentz and other local residents who live with the disorder. The cause of her diagnosis is unknown, as scientists believe a combination of genetic and environmental factors cause PD. Early signs include tremors, small handwriting, loss of smell, trouble sleeping, and dizziness or fainting. You can hear more from Richardson during Wednesday’s installment of a three-part Halcyon House Washington Page for Parkinson’s Awareness Month on air and at kciiradio.com.