Health
Military veteran embraces ‘new service’ of helping others after his Parkinson's diagnosis: ‘There is hope'
After 17 years of serving his country, Mark Kelm is now providing a different type of service: He’s advocating for others who, like him, are living with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Kelm, who lives in a small Minnesota town with his wife of 23 years and three children, was just 38 years old when he was diagnosed with PD, a nervous system disorder that causes tremors, stiffness, loss of balance and other movement issues.
He credits his military background for preparing him for this latest challenge.
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“I believe the times that I had in the military really prepared me to handle living with a disease like Parkinson’s — knowing how to adapt and overcome in any given circumstance,” he told Fox News Digital in an interview.
“And I think those life skills that I learned in the Army are still quite useful today.”
After 17 years of serving his country, Mark Kelm is now providing a different type of service: He’s advocating for others who, like him, are living with Parkinson’s disease. He’s shown in the family picture at left, center, plus on the right. (Mark Kelm)
Surprise diagnosis
Raised by a police deputy and a nurse, Kelm said that for as long as he can remember, his life has been geared toward service.
Since enlisting in the Army Reserves in 1989, Kelp has served many years of active duty, spent time in the National Guard and held a role as a military chaplain.
In 2006, Kelm transitioned to a role as a chaplain for a federal law enforcement agency.
Two years later, at just 38, he was alarmed when he started experiencing involuntary twitching.
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“One muscle in my arm kept twitching, and it was causing my finger to twitch as well, and it just wouldn’t stop,” he recalled.
That began Kelm’s journey toward a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s, which he received at the Mayo Clinic’s neurology department in Minnesota.
“That was a pretty dark day — knowing that it’s a progressive, degenerative neurological disorder that currently does not have a cure or any disease-modifying drugs,” he said.
Mark Kelm, pictured at right, enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1989 and served for many years in active duty. (Mark Kelm)
“As a chaplain, I performed funerals for people who had died from complications of Parkinson’s. So I was very familiar with some of the end-stage aspects of the disease.”
Kelm started taking Levodopa, a central nervous system drug that helps to manage Parkinson’s motor symptoms.
“I believe the times that I had in the military really prepared me to handle living with a disease like Parkinson’s.”
For eight years, he “stayed quiet” on the disease. In 2016, he said, “It was affecting me enough that I no longer could hide it.”
That’s when Kelm retired from full-time work — but his next chapter was just beginning.
New form of service
“After having my own little pity party after my diagnosis, I realized that wasn’t really helpful,” he said.
Kelm’s older daughter, who was in high school at the time, immediately started researching his disease. She soon became involved with fundraising and awareness efforts through the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Kelm, at right, is pictured on a mission trip to Uganda in 1998 while he was serving as a military chaplain. (Mark Kelm)
He was so impressed by his daughter’s efforts that he decided it was time to “get off the bench and get back into the game.”
Kelm has since “jumped in with both feet.”
He became the national chair of the Parkinson’s Foundation People with Parkinson’s Council, which ensures that the perspective of people living with PD is integrated into the foundation’s program development.
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In 2020, Kelm helped create an annual Parkinson’s Awareness Day at Target Field, in partnership with the Minnesota Twins.
He has also organized events to raise funds for the Minneapolis-based Struthers Parkinson’s Center, and volunteers on the U.S. Department of Defense’s medical research programs for Parkinson’s.
“My service is connected to Parkinson’s now,” Kelm told Fox News Digital.
Kelm, at far right, is pictured with his family during a visit to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. (Mark Kelm)
“It has been an absolute blessing, because it’s allowed me to meet people from all around this great nation and even the world,” he went on.
“It’s been very positive for me, and I’m very hopeful that there’s a lot of research being done right now.”
Kelm’s advocacy could also indirectly benefit his health, according to Dr. James Beck, PhD, chief scientific officer for the Parkinson’s Foundation in New York City.
“My service is connected to Parkinson’s now.”
“The symptoms of PD – slowness of movement, difficulty in movement, etc. – can shrink a person’s world,” Beck told Fox News Digital.
“Mark’s effort to be involved and make a difference has helped him learn more about his own disease and to be a model advocate for his own care and health.”
What to know about early-onset Parkinson’s
People who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s before age 50 are considered early-onset patients.
Just 4% of people are diagnosed before the age of 50 — and Kelm was one.
Early-onset patients are three times as likely to have a genetic form of the disease, according to Beck.
In 2020, Kelm helped to create an annual Parkinson’s Awareness Day at Target Field, in partnership with the Minnesota Twins. (Mark Kelm)
“People with EOPD typically have a much slower rate of progression of their disease than those diagnosed at an older age,” Beck noted.
Younger patients, however, are more likely to notice stiffness earlier in the course of the disease.
“They will often experience dystonia (e.g., cramping of a hand or toes) as an early symptom,” Beck said.
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Patients with early-onset disease will also often experience levodopa-induced dyskinesia (involuntary movements of body parts) more frequently than those diagnosed after the age of 50, according to Beck.
Kelm said he does experience dyskinesia from time to time.
“At first, I thought, ‘I’m going to beat this,’” he said. “And after a few years, I started having some swallowing issues, which led to choking while eating.”
Kelm is pictured with his wife of 23 years, Beth Kelm. “She is the rock of the family. She does 99% of the work, and I go in for the 1% of glory.” (Mark Kelm)
“It was a wake-up call, and an awareness that I needed to do more to manage the disease.”
Coming to terms with his mortality was tough, Kelm acknowledged — but he found some comfort in knowing.
“I found peace in knowing that everything is going to be OK.”
“You don’t die from Parkinson’s — you die with Parkinson’s,” he said. “You die from complications of the disease, especially if you’re younger. And I found peace in knowing that everything is going to be OK.”
He added, “All of us are going to leave this earth one way or another. Some of us are given knowledge beforehand, while others are not.”
The military-Parkinson’s link
There are currently more than 110,000 veterans with Parkinson’s disease who receive care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
In 2009, the Health and Medicine Division of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a report stating that there is “suggestive but limited evidence that exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War is associated with an increased chance of developing Parkinson’s disease.”
Second from right, Kelm is pictured delivering tailgate Communion while serving as a military chaplain. (Mark Kelm)
As the Parkinson’s Foundation stated, PD is a “presumptive condition for veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and certain other toxins during military service.”
Due to this designation, veterans with Parkinson’s who were exposed to these toxins are automatically eligible to receive health care and disability benefits from the VA.
Beck of the Parkinson’s Foundation said it makes sense that there could be a link between PD and military service.
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“Although I have not seen a report of a direct increase in PD after military service, given the environmental exposures of many of our service members – head trauma, solvent exposure, etc. – it would not surprise me to see a higher prevalence of PD among veterans,” he told Fox News Digital.
Kelm noted that although the U.S. veteran population is getting smaller, the Parkinson’s rate within the community is “increasing significantly.”
Kelm and his family are pictured at the Minnesota Twins game on Parkinson’s Awareness Day at Target Field. (Mark Kelm)
He told Fox News Digital, “I suffered two TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) in service, which the VA believes likely contributed to my Parkinson’s, along with chemical exposure.”
The Parkinson’s Foundation partnered with the VA in 2020 in an effort to improve the health, well-being and quality of life for veterans with PD and their loved ones.
Breaking the stigma
Many military veterans with Parkinson’s find it difficult to bring themselves to ask for help after so many years of supporting others. This was the case for Kelm after his diagnosis.
“As a chaplain, my job was for people to come to me — not for me to seek them out.”
“I was in a pretty dark place at first,” he recalled. “As a chaplain, my job was for people to come to me — not for me to seek them out.”
A doctor at Struthers Parkinson’s Center in Minnesota recognized that Kelm needed help and physically walked him to a psychologist’s office.
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“I sat down and started talking, and it really was my awakening — an awareness of how much I needed to listen to another person and have them sort through things.”
The psychologist helped Kelm realize that he could continue to serve others while also allowing others to serve him.
Second from right, Kelm is pictured during a mission trip to Uganda, during which the group helped to build a school for women. (Mark Kelm)
Over time, people in the Parkinson’s community began calling on Kelm to help others with young-onset PD who had recently been diagnosed.
“I want to reach out to as many people as possible and get them the help they need to live the best quality of life that they can,” he said.
“I want to let them know that there is hope. It’s not all darkness — there is light. They still have a lot of life to live.”
Guided by hope and faith
During the harder days, Kelm finds encouragement and comfort in his faith.
“It’s the belief that no matter what happens, I don’t have to fear, because I know God is is with me,” he said.
“I have hope that as my body becomes weaker, God’s strength will become more and more evident.”
“I have hope that as my body becomes weaker, God’s strength will become more and more evident.”
Kelm said he is also optimistic that headway is being made toward improved Parkinson’s treatments and a future cure.
He is optimistic, said Kelm, that headway is being made toward improved Parkinson’s treatments and a future cure. “The needle’s moving in the right direction,” he said. (Mark Kelm)
He is encouraged by the increases in fundraising and research.
“I’m hoping that I get to live until I’m 80 and chase grandkids around. But for that to happen, we’re going to have to do the research, so that science can point us in the right direction.”
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For others who are newly diagnosed, Kelm urges them to seek help and build a network — which may include a counselor or therapist, religious leaders, doctors, physical therapists or a speech therapist.
“Allow others to help you,” he encouraged. “It’s hard at first. You might think you can fight the disease and manage the struggle on your own. But even Jesus had help carrying the cross.”
For veterans with Parkinson’s, Kelm urges them to seek support from the VA.
“I’m hoping that I get to live until I’m 80 and chase grandkids around,” said Kelm, who is pictured with his family. “But for that to happen, we’re going to have to do the research, so that science can point us in the right direction.” (Mark Kelm)
“Look around, ask and talk to others, and you will find dedicated people who will allow you to flourish as you live with your Parkinson’s disease.”
Beck echoed the importance of being open about a diagnosis to “help bring Parkinson’s out of the shadows … It can be a difficult first step, but is worth it in the end,” he said.
“Loved ones will often already know something is amiss. Sharing your PD diagnosis with them will often result in relief at knowing what is wrong, and the opening of tremendous support.”
People can call the Parkinson’s Foundation’s free helpline at 1-800-473-4636, or can visit parkinson.org or parkinson.org/veterans for information about where to get support.
Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs requesting additional comment.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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Fruits and veggies are an important part of a balanced diet — and also balanced sleep.
A new study from Finland looked into how fruit and vegetable consumption in Finnish adults impacted sleep duration.
The research considered data from the National FinHealth 2017 Study, which involved 5,043 adults over the age of 18.
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These respondents reported their dietary consumption as well as their sleep habits, the latter of which was compared across three sleep categories: short, normal and long.
Compared to normal sleepers, short sleepers consumed 37 fewer grams of fruits and vegetables per day, while long sleepers consumed 73 fewer grams per day.
Consuming more fruits and veggies helps to support the right amount of sleep, a new study has found. (iStock)
The study concluded that there is a “consistent pattern where deviation from normal sleep duration was associated with decreased [fruit and vegetable] consumption.”
These findings suggest the need for “considering sleep patterns in dietary intervention,” researchers added.
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“Further research, including longitudinal studies, is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying these associations,” the study noted.
Study co-author Timo Partonen, M.D., a research professor at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) in Helsinki, Finland, reacted to his findings in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
The study found that sleeping fewer than seven hours per night or more than nine hours per night was associated with reduced fruit and veggie consumption. (iStock)
Sleeping fewer than seven hours per night or more than nine hours per night was associated with reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, he noted.
“The key takeaway is that shortage of sleep coincides with an unhealthy diet,” Partonen said. “This means that weight-watching programs need to pay attention to sleep habits as well … as it may ruin or promote the outcome.”
“The key takeaway is that shortage of sleep coincides with an unhealthy diet.”
While the study took into account each person’s chronotype (classifying people as an “early bird” or “night owl”), the impact of this trait on the link between sleep duration and fruit and veggie consumption was “minimal,” the researcher said.
Partonen identified this study as “cross-sectional by design,” which means the researchers were not able to analyze any “causal relationships.”
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Based on these findings, people should eat more fruits and vegetables daily to get better sleep, he recommended.
“Sleep, nutrition and physical activity form a unity,” he said. “A positive change in one of these is reflected in a positive change in the other two.”
The study findings highlight the need to consider sleep patterns during dietary intervention, researchers said. (iStock)
New Jersey-based dietitian Erin Palinski-Wade also reacted to these findings, telling Fox News Digital that it is “not surprising that increasing your dietary intake of fruits and vegetables may improve both sleep quality and quantity.”
She added, “Fruits and vegetables contain a variety of nutrients that can support healthy sleep. Some fruits, such as tart cherries and bananas, contain melatonin, a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.”
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Eating these fruits may increase melatonin levels in the body, which will promote better sleep onset and quality, according to the dietitian.
Embracing a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can also help increase antioxidant intake, she said, which can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.
Sleep may improve as these factors are reduced, Palinski-Wade added.
Multiple fruits and veggies contain nutrients that support better sleep, a nutritionist said. (iStock)
Dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale are good sources of magnesium, a nutrient that can also help support sleep, the dietitian said.
“Diets lacking in magnesium have been found to increase the risk of insomnia, so it makes sense that eating a magnesium-rich diet may improve sleep,” she added.
Fruits and veggies like spinach and tomatoes also contain an amino acid called tryptophan, which is a “precursor to serotonin,” a neurotransmitter involved in producing melatonin and aiding in sleep regulation, according to Palinski-Wade.
“By increasing your dietary intake of tryptophan, you can promote relaxation and improvements in falling and staying asleep,” she said.
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Health
Traveler infected with confirmed case of measles at Seattle International Airport as cases in US increase
The Public Health – Seattle & King County issued an alert after they were notified that an adult with a confirmed case of infectious measles traveled through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after their travels in Europe.
The confirmed infection came after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert to public health officials warning that the number of U.S. measles cases this year has already matched the entirety of 2023.
The Seattle & King County alert said that the infectious adult traveled through the international airport on May 10 and 11 and that the person’s measle vaccination status was unclear.
Health officials said the individual resided in Arizona and likely picked up the infectious disease while in Europe. The agency did not specify which country or countries the individual traveled.
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Measles concept as a deadly outbreak immunize, disease and viral illness as a contagious chickenpox or a skin rash in a 3D illustration style. (iStock)
Health officials said the individual used the S Concourse (Gate S1) on May 10 between 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. They went through customs to the international arrivals facility baggage claim (Carousel 19).
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On May 11, between approximately 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., the individual was at the A Concourse (Gate A8).
Measles outbreaks in the U.S. and abroad are raising health experts’ concern about the preventable, once-common childhood virus. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Seattle health officials said that if individuals believe they were exposed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, they should:
- Find out if you have been vaccinated for measles or have had measles previously. Make sure you are up-to-date with the recommended number of measles (MMR) vaccinations.
- Call a healthcare provider promptly if you develop an illness with fever or with an unexplained rash. To avoid possibly spreading measles to others, do not go to a clinic or hospital without calling first to tell them you want to be checked for measles after an exposure.
- Limit contact with others, especially those without known immunity.
If you were at the locations at the times listed above and are not immune to measles, the most likely time you would become sick would be between May 17, 2024, to June 1, 2024. People who are immuno-compromised may take longer to experience symptoms.
Photo illustration shows skin of a patient afflicted with measles. (iStock)
The health scare at the international airport came after a CDC alert to public health officials said the number of U.S. measles cases this year has already matched the entirety of 2023.
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“From January 1 to March 14, 2024, CDC has been notified of 58 confirmed U.S. cases of measles across 17 jurisdictions, including seven outbreaks in seven jurisdictions compared to 58 total cases and four outbreaks reported the entire year in 2023,” it said in the release.
“Among the 58 cases reported in 2024, 54 (93%) were linked to international travel,” the CDC continued, adding that, “Many countries, including travel destinations such as Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom, are experiencing measles outbreaks.”
A measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) on a countertop at a pediatrics clinic in Greenbrae, California. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)
The CDC describes measles as a “highly contagious viral illness” that “can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and death, especially in unvaccinated persons.”
“To prevent measles infection and reduce the risk of community transmission from importation, all U.S. residents traveling internationally, regardless of destination, should be current on their MMR vaccinations,” it said in the alert. “Healthcare providers should ensure children are current on routine immunizations, including MMR.”
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