An interview with Nina Juncker from PD Avengers-Germany on July 30, 2023 by George Ackerman, Ph.D, J.D.
Biography
I am a pharmacist from Germany diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago at the age of 47. My reaction to the diagnosis was quite proactive. I joined social media for the first time in my life and became a member of the Parkinson ‘s exercise in action Facebook group.
Please tell me a little about your background.
After my diagnosis I started collecting lots of Information about pd. In English there is a lot in German only about 10%. Therefore, I decided to change this and provide information for the Germans in their language. I wanted to increase awareness especially for YOPD women.
Can you tell me more about your advocacy?
My reaction to the diagnosis was quite proactive. I joined social media for the first time in my life and became a member of the Parkinson’s exercise in action fb group.
There I shared more than 40 weeks with different themes. I covered various exercise regimes etc. by sharing a theme related YouTube video each day. In November 2021 I made my archive available to the community by creating my YouTube channel Nina’s pd toolbox.
https://www.youtube.com/@ninaspdtoolbox259
I share playlists in German, English and Spanish and in the channel section you will find more than 200 pd related YouTube channels.
In Summer 2021 I cofounded PD avengers Germany with two pd friends.
On WPD 2022 we launched a challenge motivating people to exercise. It was called Aktivzeit
500,000 minutes of active time for 500,000 PD patients in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
In the end (the challenge was 3 months) we had to set a new goal twice.
There is also a German Instagram account Nina’s PD toolbox. Sharing information in German.
Started a German YOPD (Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease) Fb group in October 2022.
What is your passion and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
My passion is sharing information about pd with as many people as possible. I got involved by sharing my background and diagnosis.
What type of goals do individuals with Parkinson’s have when working with you?
We have a German proverb saying the hope dies last. I hope that I will be able to live a good life for as long as possible with or without a cure.
What effect can your advocacy on an individual with Parkinson’s?
Hopefully better-informed people with Parkinson’s in Germany and more awareness in public.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your advocacy?
Sharing information, connecting globally, giving the PD community a loud and strong voice.
What events do you participate in?
In January 2023 I started the crazy spark art challenge on Instagram. Raising awareness for PwP (People with Parkinson’s) and PD avengers. Managed 30 000 views of our videos within this month.
How does this also assist the caregivers?
Caregivers can also use all the information I share. There is also a playlist for caregivers on my YouTube channel. It is very important that they get access to information too.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
Individuals can write a comment on my YouTube channel or Instagram.
https://www.youtube.com/@ninaspdtoolbox259
How can others also become advocates for awareness?
Most important. Share your diagnosis with the outside world. You cannot be an advocate without telling people about your disease. Just get started, connect with others, learn from them, and then teach others.
If you had one final statement or quote you could leave for the Parkinson’s community, what would it be?
You must become your own advocate, get socially involved and inform yourself. Please also share the information you get with others who might need it.
Sharing is caring.