Meet Sara

Background and Early Career

I am a physician, a USAF veteran, a triathlete, a wife, and a mother.   I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2020 at the age of 46.  In early 2020, our family moved from Salt Lake City to Cleveland after my husband accepted an amazing opportunity at Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), which is a public MD medical school in the Cleveland Area. NEOMED coincidentally has a strong research focus in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Diagnosis and Initial Struggles

Once we arrived in Cleveland, I began looking for jobs as an anesthesiologist and signed with Cleveland Clinic in March 2020, just two weeks before the start of the COVID pandemic. By November 2020, at the age of 46, life was starting to feel like we were getting toward a new normal. One evening, while sitting on the couch with my family, I noticed that my left arm was shaking. At first, it was more of a curiosity, and I thought, “That’s weird, why would my arm just start shaking?” I typed “unilateral resting arm tremor” into Google, and the page that came up had one article about Parkinson’s Disease after another.

It was at that moment that my world just stopped. As I read more about Parkinson’s disease, I realized that I had been having symptoms for years, which I had chalked up to getting older or being super tired and overextended. I had been getting increasingly stiff when getting out of bed in the morning, and my neck would be so stiff it was painful to turn my head. I would shuffle about for a few minutes until I got going, and then I would be fine. My husband often urged me to finish my sentences; it turns out decreasing the volume of your voice at the end of sentences is common in Parkinson’s patients.

The next day at work, I met with the hospital neurologist in the physician’s lounge. After hearing my story, he conducted a neuro exam and confirmed that I likely had Parkinson’s disease, but ordered a few tests to rule out MS and Wilson’s disease.

Finding Hope and Regaining Strength

During my first meeting with Dr. Walter, he informed me that many patients found it helpful to enroll in research studies. I didn’t jump in right away, but after learning about a study conducted by Dr. Jay Alberts at Cleveland Clinic in collaboration with the University of Utah, I was intrigued. It involved cycling, something I had previously loved. I contacted the study coordinators and was subsequently enrolled. I received a Peloton bike for a year and was encouraged to ride it at least three times a week, with regular check-ins from a physical therapist.

I quickly found that the more I rode the bike, the better I felt. I started to think about my future in a more positive way and set a goal to finish a half marathon, and then a half Ironman. The more I exercised, the better I felt, and I realized that my medications were literally legal performance-enhancing drugs; the more I exercised, the fewer of them I needed. With the Parkinson’s medications, I could run without feeling miserably stiff afterward, and swimming felt smooth again

Advocacy and Raising Awareness

After watching the NBC broadcast of the 2022 Ironman World Championship race and seeing the stories of inspirational athletes, I realized that my story could inspire others and educate them about the effectiveness of intense exercise on slowing the progression of the disease and managing its symptoms. I was offered an opportunity to compete at Ironman Hawaii World Championships and share my journey.

Competing in Ironman was an incredible experience that allowed me to raise awareness about high-intensity exercise’s effectiveness in managing Parkinson’s disease. My story received significant media attention, including an appearance on the Today Show, features in Women’s Health magazine, and being one of the featured athletes in the Ironman documentary.

I believe that exercise and balance train different parts of my brain to compensate for the cells dying off due to Parkinson’s disease, showcasing the miraculous potential of the brain.

Today Show appearance October, 2023

Speeches

Media