7th Annual Minnesota Dystonia Golf Classic to Take Place August 15

MINNEAPOLIS - July 21, 2015 - PRLog -- The 7th Annual Minnesota Dystonia Golf Classic is taking place Saturday, August 15 at Gopher Hills Golf Course (just 30 minutes south of the Twin Cities).  Wayne Erickson of Hastings is organizing the event to raise awareness and research funds for dystonia, a little-known but surprisingly common neurological disorder he has lived with for over a decade.

Dystonia is a chronic, often disabling, movement disorder marked by extreme muscle contractions that cause involuntary movements and abnormal postures of the body and limbs. There are numerous subtypes that affect people of all ages and backgrounds, including a type of dystonia that targets professional golfers. Common signs of dystonia may include twisting or abnormal movements of the head and neck, excessive blinking, a breathy or choking voice, hand cramps, or a dragging foot.

Erickson was working as a city bus driver when he suddenly began experiencing bizarre episodes of severe eye watering, excessive blinking, and uncontrollable yawning. “The shortest attack is a few minutes, the longest was about four hours,” he explains. “My eyelids go nuts, I yawn as if I haven’t slept for days, and my eyes water ferociously.”

It took two years and a trip to the National Institutes of Health to get a diagnosis: blepharospasm, a type of dystonia characterized by forced, involuntary closure of the eyelids and excessive blinking. In severe cases, patients are functionally blind.

Soon after his diagnosis, Erickson learned that some of the most debilitating and severe types of dystonia affect children. This motivated him to get involved in raising funds for medical research toward a cure and improving public awareness.  “Anyone can get dystonia, and you have it for life,” he says. “It doesn’t hit home until you actually see somebody that’s bent over at the waist and can’t ever straighten up, or a little girl with her mouth stuck open and a feeding tube in her side, or someone with their hand closed and they can’t ever open it again.”

Proceeds from the Minnesota Dystonia Golf Classic benefit the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation. Registration is $125 and includes 18 holes, cart, and dinner.  Guests may attend dinner only for $30. Registration opens at 11:00 am, shotgun start at 1:00 pm, dinner and banquet commence at 6:00 pm. Additional details and tickets may be purchased at www.dystonia-foundation.org/mndystoniagolf.

The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to advancing research for improved dystonia treatments and ultimately a cure, promoting awareness, and supporting the well-being of affected individuals and families. The DMRF can be reached at 800-377-3978 or
www.dystonia-foundation.org.