Michael's Pilgrimage for Health
Donation protected
Hello, my name is Michael McCarron. I have Parkinson's disease. To slow down PD, I want to walk across northern Spain following the El Camino pilgrim path. I need your help to raise funds and awareness for PD.
I have been teaching at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine for over twenty years. Five years ago I was doing homework for my Doctoral degree. I noticed I was having quite a tremor in my right leg and arm. After some exams I was diagnosed with PD, a neurodegenerative disease. It can have a slow or fast progression. Over half a million have PD in the U.S., with little that is known. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is one group looking for a cure. So far there is none. Regular, frequent exercise has been shown to slow down the progression, increasing mental and physical well-being.
In northern Spain there is a pilgrimage path known as el Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St. James. It is five hundred miles long. The Cathedral at the end is believed to have the relics of St. James, one of the twelve apostles. The first pilgrimages started 1200 years ago. Every year two hundred fifty thousand souls, walk the path for personal and spiritual reasons.
I plan to walk el Camino with my wife Jill, to test the power of physical exercise, while raising awareness for PD. The hike will take about 4 weeks, walking sixteen miles per day. For a good movie dramatization of El Camino check out "The Way" with Martin Sheen.
I am asking for your help to cover my costs for the pilgrimage. Total costs: $3355
Shoes and equipment 455
Transportation 1400
Food & Lodging 1500
We will cover Jill’s costs. We are planning to walk mid-August to mid-September. I hope to buy tickets soon in February or March to get a good price. Money raised over my goal will be donated to the non-profit Parkinson's Resources of Oregon and the OHSU Parkinson's Foundation. These wonderful resources have been very helpful, educating us about how to live well with PD. Preparing for the journey and walking el Camino can lighten ones load. Already my wife and I walk over 15 miles per week to get ready.
I plan to share my journey with you, the PD community, and with others by a regularly updated blog. To acknowledge your support and kindness we will light a candle and say a prayer for all donors in a chapel or church across el Camino. Donors with gifts of $100 or more will receive a blessed conch shell, symbolic of the pilgrimage path. This shell is a metaphor for all paths leading to Santiago de Compostela.
I look forward to sharing this pilgrimage with you. Thank you for considering my request and for your continued love and support.
I have been teaching at the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine for over twenty years. Five years ago I was doing homework for my Doctoral degree. I noticed I was having quite a tremor in my right leg and arm. After some exams I was diagnosed with PD, a neurodegenerative disease. It can have a slow or fast progression. Over half a million have PD in the U.S., with little that is known. The Michael J. Fox Foundation is one group looking for a cure. So far there is none. Regular, frequent exercise has been shown to slow down the progression, increasing mental and physical well-being.
In northern Spain there is a pilgrimage path known as el Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St. James. It is five hundred miles long. The Cathedral at the end is believed to have the relics of St. James, one of the twelve apostles. The first pilgrimages started 1200 years ago. Every year two hundred fifty thousand souls, walk the path for personal and spiritual reasons.
I plan to walk el Camino with my wife Jill, to test the power of physical exercise, while raising awareness for PD. The hike will take about 4 weeks, walking sixteen miles per day. For a good movie dramatization of El Camino check out "The Way" with Martin Sheen.
I am asking for your help to cover my costs for the pilgrimage. Total costs: $3355
Shoes and equipment 455
Transportation 1400
Food & Lodging 1500
We will cover Jill’s costs. We are planning to walk mid-August to mid-September. I hope to buy tickets soon in February or March to get a good price. Money raised over my goal will be donated to the non-profit Parkinson's Resources of Oregon and the OHSU Parkinson's Foundation. These wonderful resources have been very helpful, educating us about how to live well with PD. Preparing for the journey and walking el Camino can lighten ones load. Already my wife and I walk over 15 miles per week to get ready.
I plan to share my journey with you, the PD community, and with others by a regularly updated blog. To acknowledge your support and kindness we will light a candle and say a prayer for all donors in a chapel or church across el Camino. Donors with gifts of $100 or more will receive a blessed conch shell, symbolic of the pilgrimage path. This shell is a metaphor for all paths leading to Santiago de Compostela.
I look forward to sharing this pilgrimage with you. Thank you for considering my request and for your continued love and support.
Organizer
Michael F. McCarron
Organizer
Portland, OR