Dr. Ralph Dittman

Steamboat Springs A part-time Steamboat Springs resident who has lived with Parkinsons disease for 14 years is seeking people who would be interested in participating in a support group.

What were doing is taking a head count to see how many people are interested, Dr. Ralph Dittman said. If they are interested, they need to raise their hands now.

Dittman, who splits his time between Steamboat and Houston, was a surgeon before Parkinsons came into his life at age 51.

The disease causes certain cells in the brain to become inactive, causing loss of motor functions and some neurologic functions. Notable Parkinsons sufferers include Muhammad Ali and Michael J. Fox.

The disease did not allow Dittman to be a surgeon anymore, so for the past eight years, he has been working in the laboratory and has become a renowned stem cell researcher and has published several novels.

Dittman thinks there are people in the community who could benefit greatly from a Parkinsons support group, especially those who take care of people suffering from the disease.

Theyre the people that take the real brunt of this thing, Dittman said. Theyre the ones that really need the help.

He said that to form the group, he needs to find at least 20 people who want to participate.

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Interest being gauged for Parkinson's support group in Steamboat