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Sparks of Life Providing Crucial Support to Jewish Parkinson�s Patients

By: Sandy Eller

Lakewood resident Rabbi Moshe Gruskin was in Detroit on a 2009 fundraising trip the first time someone�suggested he might have Parkinson�s disease.

The concerns were raised by a doctor friend who was worried by the way the then 58 year old Rabbi Gruskin was�walking, but a neurological examination was inconclusive. Instead, the neurologist suggested that Rabbi Gruskin�start taking medications given to Parkinson�s patients and if the regimen provided relief it would prove that Rabbi�Gruskin had Parkinson�s.

Rabbi Gruskin took the neurologist�s advice with a healthy dose of skepticism and chose to avoid medication. But�four years later, Rabbi Gruskin�s children intervened and insisted that he pay a visit to Dr. Stanley Fahn, a world�class New Jersey neurologist and an expert in movement disorders.

�He took one look at me and said right away, �Yup, you got it, no question,�� recalled Rabbi Gruskin.

An incurable, neurodegenerative brain disorder that typically progresses slowly, Parkinson�s affects more than 10�million people worldwide, according to the Parkinson�s Disease Foundation. Those who suffer from Parkinson�s�can experience motor symptoms including tremors, stiffness, balance issues and slowness of movement as well�as other non-motor issues such as mood swings and sleep disorders. More than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed�with Parkinson�s each year and because of its disproportionately high occurrence in Eastern European Jews, the�Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson�s Research recently launched a study to investigate the high prevalence�of Parkinson�s in that demographic.

As luck would have it, Dr. Fahn was not just Rabbi Gruskin�s doctor but also the organizer of the World Parkinson�Congress, an international conference held every three years that brings together scientists, physicians, health�care professionals, caregivers and those with Parkinson�s to discuss cures and best treatment practices for the�disease. Rabbi Gruskin noticed a flyer for the upcoming 2013 conference to be held in Montreal while at Dr.�Fahn�s office and the first spark for his future organization was kindled.

�I used to go fundraising in Montreal so I decided I could hit two birds with one stone,� said Rabbi Gruskin. �My son�and I could go to the congress and the rest of the time I could do fundraising.�

The conference provided Rabbi Gruskin with a fountain of information on living with Parkinson�s. He came home�with a plan to incorporate a 50 minute exercise program into his weekly routine, which has been found to be�beneficial to Parkinson�s patients. Rabbi Gruskin enlisted his children�s help to make sure that he didn�t slack off�on days when his enthusiasm waned.

�The exercise brings up my mood and I have a feeling of accomplishment,� reported Rabbi Gruskin. �When I finish�I am ready to take on the day.�

Hoping to make the most of the post-conference momentum, Rabbi Gruskin decided to contact support groups for�Jewish Parkinson�s patients and was stunned to discover that none existed. Undaunted, he elected to start his�own.

�Everyone seems to know a friend or a relative who has Parkinson�s and there is no question that it is more�prevalent than ever,� said Rabbi Gruskin. �It was crazy that no one was doing anything.�

Sparks of Life, a non-profit organization to help Jewish community members with Parkinson�s, was officially�launched this past March with a watchful eye towards the September 2016 World Parkinson Congress in Portland,�Oregon.

�The congress only happens every three years and is an opportunity to see that there are things that you can do,�that is research being done and that people are very passionate about it,� explained Rabbi Gruskin. �You leave�there with a new burst of energy and I really wanted to get something going.�

While Rabbi Gruskin�s main objective was making arrangements for Jewish participants at the congress, he also�organized Sparks of Life�s first event in June, an evening of support in Lakewood for Parkinson�s patients.

�My board thought it was a pipe dream and expected maybe two or three or even five people,� recalled Rabbi�Gruskin. �I was hoping for 20. But 100 people showed up.�

Buoyed by the event�s success, Rabbi Gruskin turned his attention to the upcoming three day conference�scheduled for the end of September. It took five weeks to make the necessary arrangements but Rabbi Gruskin�was able to offer daily minyanim and kosher food for conference attendees.

�At the 2013 congress there were three frum people,� reported Rabbi Gruskin. �Me, my son and a lady from

Teaneck. This time, out of 3,700 people, we had 28 people coming from Portland, Long Island, New York,�Lakewood, Chicago, Israel and Australia.�

Being able to make the conference accessible to the Jewish community was extremely gratifying to Rabbi Gruskin.��What makes this conference unique is that so many people who have Parkinson�s are there with their caregivers�and they can talk to doctors and researchers who are the best in their field and speak to them and ask questions,��noted Rabbi Gruskin. �Everyone gains so much and gets a better understanding of what Parkinson�s is because�they are getting information straight from the source.�

Currently, Rabbi Gruskin is busy planning more events for Sparks of Life in Lakewood and Brooklyn. Ultimately he�hopes to create a gym with therapists, Parkinson�s libraries, a 24 hour hotline, respite programs for caregivers and�more.

�We want to make a Chai Lifeline for the person who has Parkinson�s and their caregiver,� said Rabbi Gruskin.��That is my goal.�

Rabbi Gruskin has also been in communication with interested parties in Monsey and in Israel and hopes that like�its name suggests, his organization will continue sending out even more life-giving sparks.

�I would love down the road to have branches in Los Angeles in Chicago but Rome wasn�t built in a day,� said�Rabbi Gruskin. �I can only hope that the Ribono Shel Olam should give me the kochos and the health to be able to�do it.�

Sandy Eller is a freelance writer who writes for numerous websites, newspapers, magazines and many private�clients. She can be contacted at [email protected].