Rocky Statue Gets a Floral Wreath For Parkinson Awareness
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- With April being Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month, volunteers today were spreading the word about the disease near the iconic "Rocky" statue, outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The red tulip is the international symbol for Parkinson's, so volunteers were handing out the flowers to passersby.
Hundreds of the flowers were assembled in an arch-like formation around the Rocky statue.
Carol Walton, CEO of the Parkinson Alliance, says that just like Rocky, who never gave up, neither should those affected by the disease.
"And you must, you absolutely must, if you believe you are diagnosed with Parkinson's, make sure you get to a movement disorder specialist," she advises. "Not a primary care doctor, and not a general neurologist. A movement disorder specialist has two extra years of training, and they understand how to work all these cocktails of Parkinson's therapies to greatly enhance your quality of life."
Parkinsonism affects more than one million Americans and more than four million people worldwide.