WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and Florida has the highest concentration of Parkinson’s patients in the country.
To help spread awareness, the historic courthouse in downtown West Palm Beach will light up in blue on Saturday night.
The lighting honors Sharon, a local mother who fought Parkinson’s disease for nearly two decades before she died six years ago. Her son, Dr. George Ackerman, started the nonprofit Together for Sharon to keep her memory alive.
"We didn't want her to be forgotten," Ackerman said.
Ackerman called his mother his best friend and a warrior who loved spending time with her grandchildren.
"I always joke and say I was proud to be a mama's boy. I made a shirt that says it. But she was someone who was always right by my side," Ackerman said.
"They used to love spending time on Sundays, blowing bubbles in the backyard and drawing in color books. And now I walk by and it's an empty backyard, and my mother is now with us," Ackerman said.
Through Together for Sharon, Ackerman has traveled to Washington, D.C., with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, authored books, and interviewed thousands of people affected by Parkinson’s disease.
Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs has been involved with the nonprofit since 2023. She said lighting the courthouse blue is for a wonderful cause.
"Blue shows a dignity that we have to look for every person who is suffering from this neurological disease and as blue skies as we look at, as we light up that beautiful old courthouse that's part of the dignity of Palm Beach County, we will see that we look towards the sky as finding a cure for this terrible disease," Sachs said.
Ackerman hopes the blue light and shared stories will culminate in a cure.
"I can do only so much. I'm only one voice, but when we all join together, our voices are so much stronger. Commissioner has been an incredible support," Ackerman said.
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