{"id":16898,"date":"2025-10-23T04:26:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T04:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/16898\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T04:26:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T04:26:09","slug":"el-paso-woman-urges-texas-voters-to-vote-yes-to-fund-parkinsons-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/16898\/","title":{"rendered":"El Paso woman urges Texas voters to vote \u2018Yes\u2019 to fund Parkinson\u2019s research"},"content":{"rendered":"

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM<\/a>) \u2014 An El Paso woman with young-onset Parkinson\u2019s disease is advocating for El Pasoans to vote \u2018Yes\u2019 for Proposition 14 on November\u2019s ballot.<\/p>\n

Proposition 14 is one of 17 proposed amendments that are being voted on to add to the Texas Constitution. The amendment would establish the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and allocate $3 billion from the state\u2019s general fund for research into dementia, Alzheimer\u2019s, Parkinson\u2019s, and related diseases.<\/p>\n

Texas voters to decide on 17 amendments starting Monday <\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIn the grand scheme of things, with all of the millions of lives that are touched by dementia, Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s, it\u2019s really not that much. I believe it will make a real difference. It\u2019s going to lead to breakthroughs because research and breakthroughs for one brain disease often lead to advances in others,\u201d said Esther Labib-Kiyarash, an ambassador and research advocate for the Parkinson\u2019s Foundation<\/a>, and an El Paso resident.<\/p>\n

\"Esther<\/p>\n

Esther Labib-Kiyarash<\/p>\n

As described by the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, Parkinson\u2019s disease is a movement disorder of the nervous system that worsens over time, for which there is no cure.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was really shocked when I got diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s to find out that there is no real treatment and there\u2019s definitely not a cure,\u201d Labib-Kiyarash said. \u201cThe medication we take just treats the symptoms. It doesn\u2019t slow the progression at all. I got really upset and angry, and I thought to myself, \u2018I want to put my energy into raising awareness about that and hopefully, raising involvement with research and funding, to get us to that place.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Labib-Kiyarash, 50, was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s two years ago when she went to a doctor\u2019s consultation about shoulder pain she was experiencing. The pain turned out to be one of her symptoms for Parkinson\u2019s and she said her life was completely altered after that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do have a tremor, which is pretty well controlled with medication. But after I got diagnosed, like I think happens with a lot of people when they experience something traumatic in their life, I sort of reassessed my priorities in my life and made a lot of changes. One of those was to no longer work outside the home anymore. I was very fortunate to be able to take a step back from my career, and now I stay home with my kids, which is amazing. And I do volunteer work and advocacy for Parkinson\u2019s,\u201d Labib-Kiyarash said.<\/p>\n

Labib-Kiyarash has also gained a following across her social media platforms<\/a>, which she names \u2018Shaking in my Boots.\u2019<\/a> Through her platforms, Labib-Kiyarash uses humor and creativity to inform her thousands of followers about Parkinson\u2019s and how it affects people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do appreciate people following me because the more people associate someone like me with Parkinson\u2019s, the more it makes people understand that it can, in fact, happen to anyone, no matter what your age,\u201d Labib-Kiyarash said. \u201cI think specifically for Parkinson\u2019s, because it doesn\u2019t necessarily shorten our lifespan, that they think that we\u2019re just kind of doing okay. And none of these diseases are easy diseases to live with. They are progressive, and they don\u2019t end well for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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