One man from Washington is making a 1,700-mile journey and he’s doing it on a tractor—all to raise awareness for Parkinson's disease; unfortunately, his tractor had some mechanical problems, causing a bump in the trip.
“I call it a bittersweet adventure, bitter in the sense that I meet a lot of people who've lost someone really dear to them because of Parkinson's,” says Mike Adkinson.
Adkinson is taking his tractor across five states from Minnesota to Washington state for something that originally started as a favor.
“My brother-in-law in Minnesota had decided that he wanted my tractor and so we laughed about it and finally decided that I would do such,” says Adkinson.
It was when his brother was diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease that the favor turned into raising awareness.
“I thought, you know what? I think I'm going to drive that tractor, but I think I can raise money and awareness about this disease,” says Adkinson.
He says his family was a bit skeptical at first but along the way, he posts on social media so his family and the public can follow along.
“My brother, most everybody was like, well, that's not a good thing to do,” says Adkinson.
This isn’t his first time making the trip. Last year, he did the same trip, but this time around as he made his way across southwest Montana he encountered heavy downpours and mechanical issues along the way.
“Last year was really nasty. Yesterday had a really heavy-duty day, I can’t take the cold as much as I used to,” says Adkinson.
He says things go slower on the tractor, but it makes him appreciate the drive and the purpose of his trip more.
“You hear and smell and see things differently than riding a car,” says Adkinson.
If you would like to follow along Mike's trip or help him raise money, check out his Facebook page.
