Power Couple for Parkinson’s
Stan Wedel and Ann Bright are some of the nicest, most generous people you will ever meet, and in this quarterly newsletter, we are so honored to share their incredible story and highlight all the work that they do behind the scenes to make PFP the incredible organization it is!! According to Stan, who many of you know as our devoted treasurer, it is easy to give back to PFP as our wonderful community has given him a reason to enjoy life and helped him find purpose. He is now stronger physically and mentally as a result of the changes he has made to his lifestyle since finding PFP.
When Stan received his initial diagnosis of Parkinson’s in January 2012, he did not handle it well. He reflects on how he fell into quite a deep depression, started to drink a lot and lost motivation to do much of anything. It wasn’t until July 2014 when Ann demanded that Stan goes into treatment for his drinking that things started to turn around for him. And PFP was a big part of that transformation. Stan found out about PFP from a nurse that he met in treatment, decided to give it a try, and was pleasantly surprised by how much he could do in his very first class. And like so many of you have, he instantly fell in love with our lead instructor, Lauren Lewis!! Through taking PFP classes, Stan started to slowly build up his confidence and created a regular exercise routine for himself. He and Ann currently take boxing classes three times a week and work with a strength and conditioning coach twice a week. Stan has also been a devoted PFP board member for four years and the unofficial “bringer of all things sweet” to our office team on a weekly basis!!
When he is not crunching the numbers of the PFP budget, Stan is a volunteer and ‘walking guinea pig’ at the University of St Augustine Graduate Health Science School and is involved in multiple programs there. He has recently received the 2022 University of St Augustine’s Force for Good Award. Stan also spends a lot of time sponsoring people in AA. He believes connection is a crucial part of healing and keeps that at the forefront of his mind when he talks with other people who have Parkinson’s or those who are moving through addiction, always endeavoring to make them feel better than how they felt before talking to him.
Stan recognizes that an individual doesn’t get Parkinson’s Disease, an entire family gets it. In his words, Ann has been absolutely awesome!! It was Ann that helped Stan get out of his initial depression when he was diagnosed and encouraged him to get treatment. Since then, she says things have gotten better and better for both of them. And, Ann has also made a lot of friends in the Parkinson’s community. PFP is lucky enough to have the support of Ann who began volunteering with us in 2021 after retiring from over 27 years in state government as an attorney and later in an executive role. Ann always steps in to lend a helping hand when our team is in need of extra assistance and support. She has helped PFP with legal work, and donor acknowledgment and will be involved in the future PFP advisory council. We are so grateful not only for the help Ann gives PFP but are also so inspired by the support she provides Stan on a daily basis.
According to Stan and Ann, one of the most important things you can do if you are living with PD is EXERCISE!! They have both observed the way that it has changed Stan’s physical state as well as his whole mind/body attitude and way of being. And after living with PD for over ten years now, Ann and Stan have also come to realize the necessity of camaraderie and connection. We sure are happy that our PFP family is made up of such wonderful people who are so committed to helping others. Thank you for all that you are to our community, Stan and Ann!!