It is April, which marks Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, and I proudly wear my tulip pin every day. However, I still have so many people (with and without Parkinson’s) ask me what my pin symbolizes. I wanted to write this blog to ensure that my readers are among the people who can explain the story behind the Parkinson’s Tulip.
World Parkinson’s Day was instituted on April 11th, 1997 to commemorate the birthday of Dr. James Parkinson, the man who first formally identified the disease in 1817 (over 200 years ago!) in his work “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy.”
Today the entire month of April is recognized as Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month.
The red tulip has been associated with Parkinson’s awareness since 1980 when a Dutch horticulturalist who had Parkinson’s disease developed a red and white tulip and named it “Dr. James Parkinson.”
In April 2005, the red tulip was launched as the Worldwide Symbol of Parkinson’s Disease at the 9th World PD Day Conference in Luxembourg.
This stylized red tulip, with leaves shaped like the letters “P” and “D”, was designed by Karen Painter, who has early-onset PD. Karen and Jean Burns, were behind the movement for it to become the nationally recognized symbol for Parkinson’s Disease Awareness.
Photo credit to: Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in Woodburn, OR
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References:
National Parkinson’s Association NPA.org
whathealth.com/awareness/event/parkinsonsawarenessmonth.html
American’s Parkinson’s Disease Association apdaparkinson.org