STURGIS, S.D. – Imagine sitting behind the wheel of a tractor for over two thousand miles.
That’s exactly what Mike Adkinson is doing as he makes a cross country trip to raise awareness for Parkinson’s Disease.
Adkinson rolled into Sturgis Monday, and ended up spending a little bit more time here due to some problems with the trailer he is towing behind his tractor.
Mike says “I hit a large hole in Main Street in Sturgis and broke the tongue of my trailer. I guess so here I sit looking for a Welder that’s got a mobile outfit that can come to the trailer because I cannot get the trailer to them so it’ll be fixed no big deal. We’ll get it done but it will maybe delay me a little bit but that’s OK. Sturgis is a nice town. It’s a nice town to visit and I’m enjoying it”
While he waits for a welder to come help him get back on the road, he told KBHB News that his John Deere is headed to Washington State on a mission.
“Number one, create awareness to the disease and the impact that it’s having on our communities and our families and our friends. And also, two, acquire donations for the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, the APDA,”
The trip is personal for Adkinson because his brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about five years ago.
“There’s not much you can do as family members other than the primary care and I want to do something. And one of the things I think Parkinson’s people fight is depression. It’s hard to get motivated,” Adkinson said. “He and a lot of friends are watching so I think it gives him some excitement during the day,”
You can follow along with the journey too on the Tractor Trip for Parkinson’s Facebook, YouTube and Tik Tok pages. Adkinson has a goal of raising $100,000.
