MARQUETTE — The month of April has been recognized as National Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

The theme for this year’s awareness month is #FutureOfPD. The goal of this year’s campaign is to continue to raise awareness about the disease, its symptoms and the Parkinson’s Foundation, all while encouraging others to take action that impacts the future of Parkinson’s disease.

The Parkinson’s Foundation is encouraging everyone to do their part in raising awareness by scheduling daily social media posts using the #FutureOfPD hashtag and visiting parkinsons.org to learn more about the disease and what you can do to get your community and local governments involved with spreading awareness.

They are also asking that those living with Parkinson’s, as well as their friends and family members, share their stories to help educate their communities on their experiences with the disease. The foundation encourages those willing to tell their stories to visit Parkinson.org/MyPDStory.

It is estimated that there are currently close to one million American citizens who are living with Parkinson’s disease and more than ten million worldwide. More than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s every year, and that number is trending upward, with the Parkinson’s Foundation estimating that more than 1.2 million American’s will be living with the disease by 2030.

The nervous system disorder can have devastating complications.

Parkinson’s disease frequently begins with a slight tremor and progresses to involve other symptoms that include slowed movement, rigidity of muscles, loss of balance and changes to speech.

The disease is progressive and there is currently no cure. However, medicine is always improving and there are currently medications available to improve quality of life and allow those diagnosed with the disease to have an improved outlook.

So who is most at risk for Parkinson’s?

Typically, those age 50 and older are most at risk for developing the disorder, with 4% of those being diagnosed with the disease being under the age of 50. Men are 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinson’s than women.

While the human cost of Parkinson’s is devastating for those who are diagnosed with the disease, as well as their friends and family, the financial toll of the disease cannot be ignored either.

The Parkinson’s Foundation estimates that the combined direct and indirect cost — this includes treatment, social security payments and lost income — is upwards of $52 billion per year in the United States alone.

The cost of treatment for the disease can be astronomical as well, with medications costing up to $2,500 a year and some therapeutic surgeries costing $100,000 per individual.

While those statistics can seem overwhelming, there is much that you can do to help those families who are living with Parkinson’s.

You can donate directly to the Parkinson’s Foundation by visiting its website at www.parkinsons.org or visit the website to learn how to create a fundraiser in your community.