SWAMPSCOTT — When her father, Dr. Daniel Wistran, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 18 years ago, Swampscott resident Anna Wistran Wolfe decided she didn’t want to just stand by and watch it happen.
This prompted Wolfe, 40, to take action and organize a community event to support her father and raise funds for Parkinson’s research, with a goal of ultimately finding a cure to the degenerative disease, a disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement, often causing tremors. What started as a small community event has now gained national attention.
Wolfe said her father, 70, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was only 52 years old. She started doing some fundraising after college for Parkinson’s Disease research, as a way to support him, get involved, and make an impact.
Wolfe said her father and mother, Julia Wistran, moved to Salem about five years ago, but previously lived in Swampscott for nearly 40 years. Before his diagnosis, Wolfe said her father was a successful cardiologist, working at Union and Salem hospitals, but was forced to retire early due to the illness, about 15 years ago.
“It’s a terrible disease and there’s no known cure for it,” Wolfe said. “As his daughter, it’s hard to have your father be diagnosed with something that there seems to be no cure or fix for it. It’s heartbreaking. It’s a heartbreaking disease. I didn’t want to just stand by and watch it happen. I was motivated to support him and raise money for research.”
Wolfe said there was no real event locally on the North Shore for Parkinson’s fundraising at the time, so she decided to start the North Shore Walk for Parkinson’s Disease in Swampscott 10 years ago. That was through the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which benefited from all proceeds.
She said the event grew over the past 10 years from about 20 people walking the first year to more than 200 participants walking along Lynn Shore Drive last year. She said the event raised about $200,000 over the past 10 years for research.
But Wolfe said she was contacted by someone at the foundation last year who told her that the Michael J. Fox Foundation/Team Fox had decided to bring Swampscott under the umbrella of the Fox Trot program. Team Fox only holds four events — in New York City, which started in 2015, and races that started this year in Los Angeles, the Bay area and now Swampscott, she said.
The inaugural Boston Fox Trot, the result of a joint effort between Team Fox and the North Shore Walk for Parkinson’s Disease, will be held at Linscott Park on Sunday, Oct. 15. Registration begins at noon and the 5K run/walk begins at 1 p.m. Registration is $35 and all proceeds go to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance a cure for the progressive disease.
“They could have developed anything in Boston with other supporters and perhaps other volunteers, but it’s great the event is coming to Swampscott,” Wolfe said. “It’s honestly a dream come true. I never expected to start this event with the plans that it would grow to become a national Fox-sponsored event. I’m thrilled. I don’t even know how to put it into words. I’m validated. I’m extremely proud.”
Wolfe said the new event has already raised more than $40,000, which already exceeds the $30,000 her event would typically raise. She said her goal is for this year’s Fox Trot event to raise $70,000, with hopes that 400 people participate.
Wolfe remains optimistic that there will one day be a cure for Parkinson’s. She said her father has been lucky that his disease has had a slow progression and he’s doing better than expected for living with the disease for nearly 20 years. She said he takes care of himself and has a very positive attitude.
“I think that has sustained him all these years and he’s extremely hopeful for a cure,” Wolfe said. “I do believe there will be a cure for Parkinson’s. I hope it’s in my father’s lifetime. I pray that could happen for him, but it’s such a complicated disease and it doesn’t often get the funding that other diseases get. I’m really proud of what the Fox Foundation has done and I’m really glad to have supported them this long.”
To learn more about the Boston Fox Trot, visit the event’s website. To donate to Wolfe’s team, Dan’s fans.