CORNWALL, Ontario – Hope in Bloom is coming to Cornwall. The Cornwall Chapter of Parkinson Canada will be selling tulips at the Fermented Grape on Brookdale Ave. in Cornwall and at FreshCo on Ninth St. on Friday, April 20, 2018.
The money will be going towards Parkinson Canada to support research and support services for those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and their families.
Vernon Eccles has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since 2011. He and his wife Penny have been involved in the local chapter of Parkinson Canada and say that while the Hope in Bloom fundraiser takes place in other parts of Canada, it has yet to be established in Cornwall, so they decided to help spearhead the project.
“At first, we didn’t know what it was,” said Penny Eccles. “He took part in a gait improvement course because we knew something was wrong.”
It was only after going to a neurologist in 2012 that Vernon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but he and his wife recognized that he had been suffering from the symptoms of Parkinson’s for at least a year.
“I looked up the symptoms of Parkinson’s and went down the checklist, tick, tick tick,” said Penny.
Penny and Vernon hope to sell 60 tulips, each in their own pot during the fundraiser. The tulips will be available at FreschCo just for April 20, but they will be at the Fermented Grape for a full week.
Vernon explained that he has a close connection to Cornwall and very fond memories. Vernon trained in Cornwall for his career in business and took his oath of citizenship in Cornwall.
“Cornwall has always been very kind to me,” he said.
There are 25 new Parkinson’s cases every day in Canada and there are around 300 people living with the disease in the Cornwall area.
For those looking for support, they can contact Parkinson Canada who will direct them to the local Parkinson’s support group who meet the second Wednesday of every month.
