ManitobaBryce Perry remembers the feelings of dread and depression he felt 15 years ago after being told he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. On Saturday Perry walked in the held at the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg.Participants say awareness is a vital part of the annual Parkinson Canada SuperWalkDave Baxter · CBC News · Posted: Sep 07, 2025 9:12 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours agoBryce Perry, the associate director of community outreach and engagement for Parkinson Canada, took part in the Parkinson Canada SuperWalk in Winnipeg on Saturday, after being diagnosed with the disease 15 years ago. (Cedrick Noufele/CBC)Bryce Perry remembers the feelings of dread and depression he felt 15 years ago after being told he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.”It’s tough when you hear the words, ‘you have Parkinson’s disease,’ and you’ve been diagnosed with a disease that has no cure and that they say is progressive.”Adding to that anxiety was the fact Perry was only 40 years old when he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease that damages nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine, and results in symptoms including tremors, stiffness, and slowness of movement, and can also lead to depression and memory loss. “It’s extremely hard to hear, especially at 40 years old when you have a family,” he said. “It’s devastating.”On Saturday, Perry walked in the Parkinson Canada SuperWalk held at the Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. The event was one of over 30 SuperWalks to take place across Canada this weekend held to raise funds for Parkinson’s research, and to raise awareness about the disease. Perry, who now works as the associate director of community outreach and engagement for Parkinson Canada, said raising awareness about the disease is vital, because often when people are first diagnosed they don’t know what to do, or who to turn to for support, something he said led him to a very dark place. “One of the big things with Parkinson’s is depression, apathy, anxiety, and it’s very depressing,” he said. Bryce Perry, front, centre, the associate director of community outreach and engagement for Parkinson Canada, gave a thumbs up on Saturday, as participants took part in the Parkinson Canada SuperWalk in Winnipeg. (Submitted by Bryce Perry)Once Perry realized there was support available and others going through the same thing he was going through, he said that’s when he started to realize that he could find ways to live with the disease. “For me personally it took me five years to come to grips,” Perry said. “I didn’t want to tell anybody, I didn’t want people to know, I didn’t want people to look at me differently or judge me or feel pity for me.”But I realized I wasted five years. I realized there’s a huge community out there that’s going through the same stuff I was going through, and people need that when they get diagnosed, because you have to know where to turn, and where to get the support you need.”Once Perry got educated about Parkinson’s, that’s when he says he started to take his life back, and stopped letting the disease control him.”You realize, I may have Parkinson’s, but Parkinson’s doesn’t have me,” he said. Amie Peterson, who also took part in the walk in Winnipeg on Saturday, said since her dad was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s, her and her family have been doing everything they can to educate themselves about the disease.”Since that time we’ve been learning about how best to support him, and what kinds of things are best for people living with Parkinson’s,” she said. Peterson said she hopes the walk raises awareness so that more people living with Parkinson’s will come forward if they feel they need help. Sisters April Bergman and Heather Wood both took part in Saturday’s walk to show support for their father who they say was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Sisters April Bergman and Heather Wood both took part in Saturday’s Parkinson Canada SuperWalk to show support for their dad, who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. (Cedrick Noufele/CBC)”I’d say it represents hope, that there’s other people going through it, and that there’s other families going through it,” Wood said about Saturday’s walk. “When we come to a walk like this we’re not alone. We’re with other families in the exact same situation, so it’s a little community that happens.”ABOUT THE AUTHORDave Baxter is an award-winning reporter and editor currently working for CBC Manitoba. Born and raised in Winnipeg, he has also previously reported for the Winnipeg Sun and the Winnipeg Free Press, as well as several rural Manitoba publications.With files from Cedrick Noufele
Walk offers hope and community for those living with Parkinson’s disease
