Woman diagnosed with Parkinson's after <b>Wii</b> Fit reveals poor <b>...</b>

Woman diagnosed with Parkinson's after Wii Fit reveals poor balance,

Most people who step onto a Wii Fit and realize how off-balance their stance is can easily correct it and get on with their lives. But 54-year-old Julie Wilks has a very different story.

The British mother of two bought Wii Fit but had trouble playing it - her balance leaned heavily to one side. When she started experiencing other symptoms, she recalled the game's feedback, and went to see her doctor.

Long story short, Mrs. Wilks was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

"It's quite amazing that a computer game was able to point out there was a problem," she told a local newspaper interview.

Wilks never had any serious health concerns before playing Wii Fit so had no reason to look into the possibility that she might have a serious illness. Quite a story, isn't it?

Wilks isn't taking the news sitting down, either. She's actively working on the battle to find a cure, and has set up a website called Give A Little Sunshine to raise awareness about the disease.

(Note to hypochondriacs: If you also have trouble balancing on the Wii Balance Board, you probably just have poor balance.)

[Source: Yorkshire Post Via Metro.co.uk]

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Wii tells mum she has Parkinson's

Julie Wilks, 54, found out she had the degenerative disorder after noticing that she was leaning heavily to one side when she was standing on a Balance Board playing Wii Fit.
She went to a doctor to find out what was wrong and was referred to a neurologist for tests.
It was then she was given the news she had Parkinson's and her life changed forever.
Former lab technician Julie, of Guiseley, Leeds, West Yorks, said: "It's quite amazing that a computer game was able to point out there was a problem. I certainly hadn't realised that myself.
"I was playing on the game with friends and we were all having a laugh and carrying on.
"I was doing brilliantly on all the games, I was a great skier and snowboarder and it told me my Wii fit age was 13 years younger than I am.
"But when it came to stepping on to the balance game it was showing on the screen that I was leaning on my left foot more heavily than the other.
"There was a huge footprint on the screen and everyone was joking saying I was doing it on purpose.
"It stuck in my mind afterwards and what I started to recognise as symptoms steadily got worse.
"In the beginning the symptoms that I had were so subtle that I adapted myself without realising. I am left-handed but started texting on my phone and using the computer mouse with my right.
"I'm so grateful that I was playing the game that day and that it ended up in my diagnosis. What an amazing piece of technology."
Julie was diagnosed with the syndrome last year, six months after playing on the game at Christmas 2009.
But she has vowed to live life to the full and has set up a website to help others who are suffering from the same disease.
She added: "I always wanted to do Route 66 on a motorbike but because I can no longer ride safely and had to sell my motorbike, I might have to look at other ways to do it, either as pillion rider or by car or coach.
"It won't be quite the same on four wheels but I will look at getting there any way I can."
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