Call for help, hope for cure
Published: February 3, 2005
Heroic police dispatcher wants cure for ex-husband’s illness.
It seems saving lives is in Jenny Molnar’s blood.
But this time, it’s personal.
Last week, the 32-year-old Niles Police Department dispatcher was honored by the Niles City Council for providing CPR instructions over the telephone that helped saved the life of a 44-year-old Niles man.
Now, she’s appealing to area residents to support the 11th annual Parkinson’s Unity Walk, set for April 16 in New York City’s Central Park, because finding a cure for the disease would extend the life of her ex-husband, Bill Molnar.
She said Parkinson’s disease is so rare for people Bill’s age — 36 — that it took years before it was correctly diagnosed.
“It was the first time the neurologist heard anyone cheer when he (Bill Molnar) found out what he had,” Jenny said.
Bill said he’s currently taking medication that, except for a tremor in his right hand, does a good job of controlling symptoms of the illness. But he and his former spouse realize the medication can only do so much as the disease slowly takes a toll on his muscles.
He said he has been told he can expect to live another 15 or 20 years.
“Ultimately, it will kill him if they don’t find a cure,” his ex-wife said.
Bill said he was working for a carpet supply business in South Bend in the late 1990s when he noticed his right hand had begun to tremble. Initially, the diagnosis was stress, and medication was prescribed.
Over the next several years, the tremors, accompanied by muscle aches, grew worse, but Bill said he did “the guy thing and tried to hide it.” He lost his job, after his short-term disability benefits expired, and the frustration that came with his health problems contributed to the couple’s divorce in 2002.
“A lot of our problems were because we didn’t know what was going on,” said Bill, who now is living once again with his ex-wife. “My therapist says I was self-medicating myself … and I drank quite heavily. That caused some problems between us.”
He said he was home in April 2004 when his tremors became severe and he found he could neither talk nor walk.
“He was flopping like a fish. … It scared me,” Jenny said.
She rushed him to Lakeland Hospital, Niles, and later the Riverwood Community Mental Health Center, where anti-depressants were prescribed. They, too, were ineffective.
Finally, last August, Dr. Paul Wisielewski, a Kalamazoo neurologist, rendered the diagnosis of early onset Parkinson’s disease. Jenny said Bill’s condition has since greatly improved, thanks to proper medication, but he’s aware he’ll gradually lose more muscle control.
The two said they’re hopeful a cure will be found soon, in part because of the support that has been forthcoming from Parkinson’s victims Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali. Jenny said Fox believes a biomarker, or a molecular fingerprint of the disease, will be discovered by 2010.
Researchers have said a biomarker would have a profound impact on patient care and could lead to a cure.
It can’t come too soon for Bill, a talented woodworker whose wine racks are sold at the Tabor Hill Winery and Restaurant near Buchanan. He said such intricate work is no longer possible but he can still turn out larger items like furniture, generating some income.
Jenny emphasized she and Bill are looking for help, but people shouldn’t come to a wrong conclusion.
“We don’t want any money,” she said. “We want a cure.”
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