Kirk Gibson kicks off effort to fund Parkinson's disease research at Michigan State

Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Hours before College Football Hall of Famer Kirk Gibson's name was to be added to Michigan State University's "Ring of Fame" Saturday night, he announced a special fundraising effort to battle Parkinson's disease.

At a news conference at the Kellogg Center, joined by former MSU football coach George Perles and fellow former Detroit Tigers player Alan Trammell, he kicked off the "Gibby & Friends vs. Parky" campaign. "Parky" is how he refers to Parkinson's disease.

MSU football great and former Major League Baseball player Kirk Gibson announces he is spearheading a fundraising campaign to raise money for MSU’s College of Human Medicine for Parkinson’s disease research Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, at a news conference at MSU. He told the media he has had the disease since 2008 but was diagnosed much later.

The goal is to raise $1.2 million for MSU's College of Human Medicine, which will go toward Parkinson's disease research.

"When I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, it was a real kick in the butt," Gibson said. "I thought I was going to die soon."

Gibson, a former wide receiver at Michigan State and Major League baseball player and manager, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015, but he didn't go public about his diagnosis until last year.

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Approximately 1 million people in the U.S. have Parkinson's disease.

"It's a new normal," Gibson said, adding that he has struggled with Parkinson's disease since 2008. "I knew something was different, and I was in denial, but once you learn about (Parkinson's disease), it's doable."

During the news conference, Gibson said his decision to go public with the disease stemmed from knowing he could "help others who were maybe struggling with the disease that I've had for many years but didn't know about."

When asked how the past two years have changed, Gibson answered that "you have a choice to make; you can either pick yourself up, or you can complain and not be productive."

Former Detroit Tiger great Alan Trammell, left, speaks to the media as he sits next to long time friend Kirk Gibson Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017 at MSU. Gibson, who will be honored before the start of the MSU football game with an induction ceremony into the MSU Ring of Fame, has announced he will be spearheading a fundraising campaign to raise money for the MSU Department of Human Medicine for research on Parkinson’s Disease.

Trammell said he attended the news conference to support his former teammate.

"Gibby and I have been friends for over 40 years," he said, "and he's the kind of guy to step up and do whatever is needed to help find a cure for Parkinson's disease."

Gibson was "very humbled to be singled out," but said he didn't want to "minimize anyone else's contributions to what's going on today."

A fundraiser dinner was held following the news conference. Tables were available for donations of $10,000 or $5,000, and individual tickets went for $1,000 each.

Gibson will serve as honorary captain during Michigan State's 8 p.m. Saturday game against Notre Dame, and his No. 23 football jersey will be retired during a ceremony at halftime.

"It's exciting to be home," he said.

Contact Princess Gabbara at pgabbara@lsj.com or (517) 377-1006. Follow her on Twitter at @PrincessGabbara.