WINNIPEG – A young Winnipeg girl is proving to everyone that setting your mind on a goal is all you need to make a difference.
Jenna Sigurdson was only 11 when she found out her dad had Parkinson’s disease.
Immediately, she set out on a quest that has grown so much, the Parkinson Society Manitoba says it’s because of her that they can keep going.
Jenna’s raised more than $22,000 over the last two years, making her the third-highest fundraiser in Canada.
“I was overwhelmed,” said Blair Sigurdson, Jenna’s dad. “She just kept going.”
Blair, 50, was diagnosed two years ago with Parkinson’s disease.
After he got over the shock of what he was told, Blair began working out and walking every day, walking 1,600 kilometres with more than 10 kilograms on his back last year.
But it’s his daughter Jenna who amazes him.
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“As soon as I found out, I asked him what can I do to help,” Jenna said. “He said I can fundraise for the Parkinson’s Superwalk.”
Last year, Jenna raised more than $5,000 on her own, and a generous Winnipegger matched the donation.
This year, she vowed to raise $10,000 by her 12th birthday on Aug. 8.
“I went door-to-door, friends, family and my community,” Jenna said. She knocked on more than 2,000 doors in her south Winnipeg neighbourhood, going out rain or shine every night after school. She even created and sold bookmarks at school.
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She raised $4,000 in two weeks and she reached her goal on her birthday, bringing in $10,136.88
“She’s a motivator and a hero to a lot of people,” gushed Howard Koks of the Parkinson Society Manitoba.
The money helps keep the society going in Manitoba and will also go toward research, in the hopes one day a cure will be found.
“She’s just a superstar for us and more than just raising money, Jenna’s out there making more people aware of Parkinson’s disease,” said Koks.
Roughly 6,000 Manitobans have Parkinson’s disease. While many are diagnosed in their 60s, Blair was diagnosed at 50, but started to feel symptoms at the age of 35.
“That’s why I’m doing it, because I’m really proud of my dad,” said Jenna.
But she’s not stopping there. Jenna wants to reach $12,000 before the Parkinson’s Superwalk, Sept. 7 in Winnipeg.
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