Global Initiative to Raise Awareness Sparks the Night for World Parkinson’s Day

The Empire State Building will join more than 300 iconic locals and #SparktheNight BLUE on April 11 which is World Parkinson's Day. The Empire State Building image® is a registered trademark of ESRT Empire State Building, L.L.C. and is used with permission.

Field of Light at Freedom Plaza -- New York City -- All images © 2023 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. Photography by Serena Munro

Adelaide Oval -- ? @rob_brown_productions

Mole Antonelliana - Turin, Italy

Spark the Night events hosted by PD Avengers will focus on educating audiences on the 24-hour impact Parkinson’s disease has on patients and care partners.

By joining global awareness with local action, advocates can help create a stronger, more effective response to Parkinson's disease.”

— Larry Gifford, PD Avengers

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, April 1, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The PD Avengers announced that on April 11, 2024, the global alliance will partner with Abbott and AbbVie to turn World Parkinson’s Day into World Parkinson’s Night. The global campaign is dedicated to raising awareness and fostering unity among the Parkinson’s community. Three core events that are part of this global initiative include: Spark the Night with 10-million lights, a 24-hour Parkinson’s Around the World live stream and our SLEEP survey [ http://www.pdavengers.com/sleepsurvey ] of people with Parkinson’s and care partners.

These events will highlight the 24-hour impact Parkinson’s disease (PD) has on patients, their caregivers and loved one’s lives – with a special focus on how Parkinson’s disease affects sleep and the value of increasing “on” time.

Spark the Night will illuminate over 300 iconic buildings, bridges, towers, and landmarks in a vibrant blue hue, serving as a powerful symbol of hope, solidarity, and visibility for the Parkinson's community. Scheduled for April 11, this dazzling display will include renowned structures such as The Empire State Building, an emblem of New York City's skyline. Additionally, notable landmarks such as the New York Stock Exchange, AT&T Global Headquarters in Dallas, the Royal Australian Mint, and Canadian treasures like BC Place and Science World in Vancouver will join in this global initiative.

Internationally, participation extends to landmarks like the Adelaide Oval in Australia, the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, Italy, the historic Sophienkirche in Berlin, and the iconic Waldstadion; Deutsche Bank Park Futbol Stadium in Frankfurt. The Petřín Tower in Prague will also be illuminated in solidarity with the cause.

Adding to the spectacle, the captivating art installation, Field of Lights at Freedom Plaza, will lend its luminescence to support the Parkinson's community. And the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland will proudly participate, contributing its unique energy to this worldwide event. The complete list of cities participating are here.

"By joining global awareness with local action, advocates can help create a stronger, more effective response to Parkinson's disease,” said Larry Gifford, President of PD Avengers. “This can make a real difference in the lives of those impacted by the condition, both in their own communities and beyond."

The Parkinson’s Around the World 24-hour live stream [ https://www.youtube.com/pdavengers ] will offer a virtual platform for interviews with patients, care partners and experts, music from Grammy-award winning artists, and inspiring documentaries to banish stigma and raise awareness of the burden associated with Parkinson’s disease. We will feature compelling Parkinson’s stories in multiple languages subtitled in English.

With participation from countries around the globe, this event will embody the PD Avengers mantra: "Think Global, Act Local."

“At AbbVie, we walk alongside people living with Parkinson’s disease and their families, who display extraordinary resilience. We are proud to partner with the PD Avengers to raise awareness of the impact of Parkinson’s Disease throughout the day, across 24-hours,” said Maurizio Facheris, Senior Medical Director, Clinical Development Neuroscience, AbbVie. “We see it as our responsibility to help the Parkinson’s disease community by delivering solutions that can help make a difference in their lives as we seek to elevate the standard of care.”

The PD Avengers SLEEP survey: Surveying Late Evening Effects of Parkinson’s delves into the often-overlooked realities of how Parkinson’s profoundly impacts sleep and aims to shed light on this lesser-understood symptoms and challenges of the condition. The survey is available in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese and Japanese and is open to people with Parkinson’s and their care partners.

This initiative is a collaboration between PD Avengers and AbbVie and is designed to spotlight the symptoms and their profound impact on individuals living with Parkinson’s disease, their care partners, and their communities.

PARKINSON'S DISEASE NEVER SLEEPS. NEITHER DO WE.

The challenges faced by individuals with Parkinson's disease extend beyond the passing of time. Night hours, once a sanctuary for rest, become a battleground where the complexities of the condition surface with unique intensity. From involuntary tremors in the quiet hours to stiffness hindering movement – even within the confines of a bed – the nocturnal landscape for those with Parkinson's disease is fraught with a myriad of symptoms.

"Abbott is committed to addressing the unique experiences and needs of individuals living with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease by providing therapies that help people improve their quality of life,” said Pedro Malha, vice president, neuromodulation, Abbott. “As we continue to advance patient-centric treatment options, such as remote programming of deep brain stimulation devices, we remain focused on listening and adapting to the evolving needs of people with Parkinson’s disease to get them to a place where they can live their fullest possible life.”

Spark the Night, aims to shed light on the silent struggles unfolding in the darkness, offering insight on Parkinson's nighttime symptoms. Tremors, rigidity, sleep disturbances, restless legs syndrome, pain, freezing, urinary issues, dystonia, excessive sweating, hypotension, drooling, nighttime cramps, temperature sensitivity, frequent awakenings, and more vividly illustrate the challenges faced during the night for those with Parkinson's disease.

Our goal for Spark the Night is ambitious: 10-million lights for the 10-million people living with Parkinson's disease. Each light represents support, awareness, and solidarity in the endeavor to bring hope to those affected by Parkinson’s disease worldwide. Follow the hashtag #SparktheNight and turn your social media feeds into a stream of advocacy for this disease that refuses to sleep.

For more information and to participate, please visit http://www.worldparkinsonsnight.com

For questions or interviews with PD Avengers, AbbVie, Abbott, or local people with Parkinson’s in your region:
Larry Gifford, cofounder
PD Avengers
778-233-6173
Larry@PDAvengers.com

Special thanks to the following people and organizations for their collective efforts in making Spark the Night for Parkinson's on April 11 a truly global event:
Bailey Martin, Parkinson’s Wellness Program
Parkinson’s Association of Alberta
Carolyn Wilson, PD Avengers
Parkinson's Resources
Cathy Molohan, PhD of Yuvedo Foundation
Parkinson Society of British Columbia
Clemie Alvarez-Pizzillo, PMD Alliance
Parkinson’s UK
Dancing with Parkinson's
Sharon Krischer, Twitchy Woman
Jeanine Alain, PD Avengers
Steve Phillips, Shaky Nation
Kristi LaMonika, PD Avengers
Tamara Boaden, Passion for Parkinson’s
Massimiliano Iachini, Associazione Italiana Giovani Parkinsonian
Taylor Devlin, U-Turn Parkinson’s
Nadia Rizvi, Parkinson’s Support Group of Kenya
Tina Gillespie, Parkinson’s Australia

About PD Avengers
PD Avengers is a global alliance of 150 organizational partners and over 7,500 individuals from 98 countries, including patients, caregivers, researchers, advocates, and healthcare professionals, dedicated to ending Parkinson's Disease. With a focus on wellness, advocacy, and research, PD Avengers collaborate with Parkinson’s organizations and the health industry to drive positive change in policies and practices related to PD. Leveraging a network of 150 partners, PD Avengers work tirelessly to amplify voices, raise awareness, and advocate for better treatments and care for those affected by Parkinson’s.

About AbbVie in Parkinson’s

At AbbVie, we are transforming Parkinson’s disease and aiming to deliver better outcomes today and elevate the standard of care tomorrow. We support people living with Parkinson’s disease who are navigating a range of physical, mental, and emotional experiences that impact their social identity and independence. We are committed to developing solutions that can make a difference in their lives and help them maintain their sense of self. With more than three decades in neuroscience, we continue to cultivate strong collaborations to deliver products, education and resources that help preserve one’s personhood. As we work to shift the paradigm in Parkinson’s disease care, we’re looking across all stages of development in search of novel therapeutics that go beyond symptom management. For more information about AbbVie in Parkinson’s, please visit us at https://www.abbvie.com/our-science/therapeutic-focus-areas/neuroscience.html.

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Larry David Gifford
www.PDAvengers.com
+1 778-233-6173
Larry@PDAvengers.com
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