NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- Huntsville resident Jennifer Neathery will be hitting the streets of downtown Nashville Saturday for a 26.2 mile challenge to raise money and awareness about a disease she's battled for seven year's, Parkinson's.

In an effort to promote Parkinson's Awareness Month in the community, Neathery will be participating in the St. Jude Country Music Marathon to raise money for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. She says her motivation for embarking on the 26.2-mile challenge is to not only generate awareness, but to show that "no matter what your circumstances are, you can do anything you can your mind to."

Neathery, an avid runner, was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease seven years ago at 32. Despite her disease's hardships, Neathery decided to partake in the run to challenger herself and prove to others that Parkinson's doesn't mean "giving up being active and living a good life."

The runner's goal is to raise $500 as she runs in the Nashville marathon on Saturday. She will be one of more than 35,000 participants in the race, which is a part of the Rock 'n' Roll marathon series.

Robin Elliott, the executive director for the Parkinson's Disease Foundation, says champions such as Neathery remind her of what the organization does and why.

"Because Parkinson's affects nearly 1 million Americans and we need to find a cure," he said. "We applaud her efforts to not only help PDF to fund the most promising research, but also to raise awareness in her community and around the U.S. about the impact of the disease."

To learn more about Neathery's fundraising efforts or to donate, contact the Parkinson's Disease Foundation by calling 800-457-6676, visit pdf.org or email info@pdf.org.

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Huntsville runner with Parkinson's disease to run in marathon