Attacked by Parkinson's, Oswego man fighting back
November 5, 2006

Ken Glowienke doesn't want to get political. But he does want to be able to support his family. Play with his kids, even grandkids someday. Lead a normal life. The Oswego man is only 41 years old but already knows his future has a lot of question marks surrounding it. Two years ago he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and already the symptoms -- which began with a tremor in his finger -- indicate he's into the second stage of this progressively debilitating condition. That means he can function fine during the day at his job as a marketing specialist for a medical device firm. But at night, when the drugs wear off, well, that's a different story. The tremors, which he tries to hide during the day, begin in earnest. It means he can't type, it's hard to drive or do so many of the things most of us take for granted.He knows the facts: This disease, while you can't predict the speed with which it takes over the body, is only going to get worse. He's gone through all the stages: denial, anger, acceptance. A big turning point came this summer when he watched his motorcycle, a Honda VTX, leave his driveway under a new owner. "It was my most prized possession," he says of the big cruiser bike. "I cried when I saw it drive away .... it was the realization that my life was never going to be the same." But instead of wallowing in pity, Glowienke and his wife chose to tackle fate with optimism and hope. "I decided that rather than watching (this disease) take control of our lives," said Ann Glowienke, "we were going to take some ownership in finding a cure." That's how they came across Team Fox, Michael J. Fox's national organization to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson's research. The popular television star was diagnosed with the disease 15 years ago -- and his role as an advocate has taken center stage in the political arena after he shot a series of political ads supporting candidates who favor stem cell research. Of course, when anything goes political, controversy follows -- particularly when, last month, conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared Fox was "exaggerating the effects of the disease" in these campaign ads, and that he was either not taking his medication or acting. Fox, while campaigning for Tammy Duckworth in Wheaton recently, chose not to fire back but only alluded to these accusations. Others, however, including Glowienke, were outraged. And the Oswego man even called WGN to voice his disgust. "I was in complete and utter disbelief," says Glowienke, "especially when Limbaugh took it upon himself -- with absolutely no knowledge of the disease -- to physically imitate the symptoms. I was infuriated." Like I said earlier, Glowienke is not trying to get political here. But he gets frustrated when people "don't know enough about it to make an informed decision." He also knows all the nuances of the disease, how medication affects it and how victims fight hard to hide the symptoms. He also knows that if he wants to eliminate some of the question marks in his future, stem cell research is absolutely necessary. "Is Michael J Fox a political pawn right now? Probably," says Glowienke. "But he wants to be. He knows he has to be in order to get his message out there." And that's really all Glowienke wants, as well. That's why he and his family have organized their own local grassroots branch of Team Fox, called Team Glowienke, (www.focusonacure.com), which has raised over $3,500 this year for Parkinson's research. "You've got to find purpose when something like this hits you," he says.

And even though he doesn't want to make his disease a political statement, being helpless "scares the heck" out of him. "I understand the moral issue," he says, "but until you walk a mile in my shoes ..."