Louisville speech pathologist will walk from Kentucky to New Jersey to raise awareness about PSP
Dec. 31, 2008
LOUISVILLE - Next June and July, Sandy McWilliams will be walking for PSP. Literally.
She plans to walk from Kentucky to New Jersey - a distance of about 700 miles - to raise awareness about a devastating brain disease called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Her mother was diagnosed with the disease in 2007 after several years of puzzling symptoms.
She plans to walk 15 to 20 miles per day along secondary roads, resting on Sundays and speaking to groups about the disease. Among the groups she's contacting are speech professionals, Girl Scout councils and Presbyterian churches, as she has been involved with those organizations professionally or personally.
"The diagnosis is horrible and watching the disease affect both my parents as the patient and the primary caregiver has been overwhelming," Sandy says. "As I talk with people I find that few know about this disease, and I wanted to do whatever I could to focus attention on PSP. Doing that with a distance walk came to mind almost immediately."
The non-profit organization, CurePSP (www.curepsp.org), has more information about the disease and its effects. Sandy's walk progress and her observations during the journey can be found at www.walk4psp.org.
For information about how to participate in the walk or to find out what you can do to raise awareness about PSP, visit www.walk4psp.org. | 
