Mayfield Clinic | Sunflower Revolution

Sunflower Revolution IV is
Sept. 7-9, 2007, for details visit
www.SunflowerRev.org

“I realized I could help myself and others by using my name. A lot of that inspiration came from Lance Armstrong. I realized I could do more, and I’m finding that out. There aren’t that many people with early-onset Parkinson’s. People see the inevitable decline, the lack of a cure. At 45, I don’t want to accept the fact that there are no curative solutions down the road. I’d like to see the light at the end of the tunnel, not just for myself, but also for a lot of other people with neurological disabilities.”
- Davis Phinney

The Sunflower Revolution is a celebratory, three-day event whose mission is to promote wellness within the Cincinnati area's Parkinson's disease community; to raise funds for Parkinson's research that can benefit patients regionally, nationally, and globally; and to heighten the public's awareness of Parkinson's disease, a progressive and devastating neurological disorder that afflicts 1.5 million Americans and cannot be halted or cured at this time.

A shared project of the Davis Phinney Foundation and The Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati and University Hospital, the Sunflower Revolution involves three distinct events: a fund-raising gala and auction; a free educational symposium and expo for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals; and a fund-raising bike ride that attracts cyclists from around the nation.

The Sunflower Revolution was named and founded by Kathleen Krumme, a Cincinnati cyclist and bicycle shop manager whose father suffers from Parkinson's disease. The sunflower is not only a ubiquitous sight at the Tour de France, the world's most famous cycling event, it is also a symbol of hope. Those who support the Sunflower events are helping fuel research that will lead to a revolution in the care of people with Parkinson's disease.

All proceeds from the Sunflower Revolution benefit Parkinson's disease programs in research, education, and wellness at The Neuroscience Institute. Since 2004 the event has raised $540,000 for laboratory research, clinical trials for patients with Parkinson's disease, and fellowship opportunities for young physicians training to become Parkinson's specialists.

The Neuroscience Institute, an affiliate of the Mayfield Clinic, is the Cincinnati region's premier referral center for people with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders, and the Sunflower Revolution is the region's premier fundraiser for Parkinson's disease programs. For more information, please visit www.SunflowerRev.org.

Sunflower Revolution founder Kathy Krumme with
John M. Tew, MD, Clinical Director of The Neuroscience Institute, at the Sunflower Revolution II ride.

Davis Phinney leads the pelaton
at Sunflower Revolution III.

Gala co-chairs Melody Sawyer Richardson (left)
and Francie Schott Hiltz (center),
with Local 12's Cammy Dierking (right).

Photos by Mark Bowen