Stacey Empson (center), along with some of her "bad-ass women" friends, helped raise nearly $40,000 for Parkinson's research at the 2025 Chicago Run/Walk.
When I first heard the words, “you have Parkinson’s disease” in October of 2024, at age 55, I was stunned — not just by the diagnosis, but by how it challenged my own perceptions. Parkinson’s wasn’t just for “older men,” as I’d imagined from watching my beloved grandfather’s experience. Suddenly, I was on this new path, searching for community and understanding, especially among women who shared my journey.
Almost immediately, I sought out other women with Parkinson’s and was intrigued by online groups like Twitchy Woman and the Connecticut-based Parkinson’s Body and Mind women’s support group. I’ve also found a handful of amazing “Parkie” friends locally in Chicago, and together we’ve navigated the unpredictable landscape of symptoms and progression. While each person’s experience is unique, it’s clear to me that women with PD face some similar, sometimes overlooked, challenges.
I recently attended my first Research Roundtable and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinson's” gala with The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF). Hearing Dr. Bastiaan Bloem and Dr. Rachel Dolhun acknowledge that women’s experiences with PD can be different was validating. Some of us have even wondered about quantifying those differences and creating a space to unite like-minded women. I intend to bring some thoughtful women together — in Phoenix in May, 2026, at the World Parkinson Conference, perhaps — to brainstorm ways we can make the greatest impact.
Through it all, I’ve learned that strength comes from connection. In May, at the MJFF Chicago Run/Walk, my team raised close to $40,000 for the Foundation. While Team Track (my grandfather’s nickname for me) wasn’t exclusively female, most of our walkers and donors were women — proudly sporting #womensupportingwomen on our t-shirts. We proved that, together, we can do wonderful things.
I’m here, ready to support, to fight, and to stand alongside all the bad-ass women living with Parkinson's. Let’s keep lifting each other up and showing the world what women can do.