Help Amber attend the World Parkinson’s Congress
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Help Amber travel to Barcelona to attend the World Parkinson Congress in July, 2023!
Amber, a “boy mom”, lives in El Paso, Texas with her two sons. She was diagnosed at age 35 with young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) in 2018. Parkinson’s is a movement disorder that impacts balance and coordination, causes slowness of movement, muscle stiffness, and tremors.
As a means to cope with her disease, Amber has dedicated herself to advocacy work. She uses dark humor and sarcasm to increase awareness of living with YOPD. She has a following of over 97,000 on her wildly popular TikTok page @notthefakeamber.
Amber is curious and passionate and has a strong desire to learn all she can about PD. Attending the WPC in Barcelona will be life-changing for her! Imagine how much information she’ll be able to share with her TikTok followers, educating the world one viewer at a time.
At the WPC in Barcelona, Amber will have the opportunity to meet and connect with other women (and men, too) who have PD. What an alliance to be made! She’ll learn about scientific advancements from the top researchers in the world. She’ll create a community of people to walk alongside her as her disease progresses. Her participation in the WPC will provide her with an unparalleled experience.
Last August, Amber participated in the Portland to Coast walking relay with the Brian Grant Foundation team to raise Parkinson’s awareness. The relay was 130 miles in total. Amber walked three separate legs, proudly conquering 11 miles on just one of her legs! Amber was one of 12 diverse team members to represent the team; all members were somehow connected to Parkinson’s. The team was led by the Foundation’s founder himself, NBA legend Brian Grant who also has PD.
The Brian Graham Foundation recorded this incredible event in two unique ways: a podcast and a video. Amber and five of the team members were chosen to tell their PD stories. The six of them were interviewed on the BGF podcast, and they are featured in an incredible, heartwarming and moving video
(please see the links below to listen to, and watch, Amber’s story).
A portion of this video has been submitted to the World Parkinson Congress video competition…
…If the video wins a prize in Barcelona, Amber should be there to accept the accolades in person!
Thank you for helping send Amber to the World Parkinson Congress.
About the World Parkinson Congress:
The World Parkinson Congress is a triennial event, providing an international forum for neurologists, scientists, clinical researchers, health care professionals, people with Parkinson’s and care partners to come together under one roof to discuss, learn, and engage in debate around the latest scientific discoveries, medical and comprehensive care practices related to Parkinson’s disease.
Amber’s Hood to Coast relay video:
Amber’s Hood to Coast podcast called “Just Doing It”:
Organizer
Amber Hesford
Organizer
El Paso, TX