The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 35

FEMALE TRAILBLAZERS

an urgency-to the workouts because they keep her mentally and
physically as fit as she can be.
Sarah Early, who teaches Fu's chair yoga class, says the class
"starts with a laugh" and leans toward community-building.
Disease and age "need a community," says Early. Exercise classes
present "a whole passel of new friends, who become like family."
"I still don't understand how I got Parkinson's," Fu says,
sounding bewildered. She was diagnosed in 1999 and now, "I
can't remember common things. It used to be so easy for me to
speak, to give talks without notes. I need notes now, but usually
I forget to bring them." She laughs at herself, as she often does.
Roanoke Vice Mayor Joe Cobb, a long-time friend, says, "Pearl
is an international treasure who has transformed Roanoke through
the power of love and the nature of relationship. She has the
extraordinary gift of meeting everyone where they are and leading
them to a new understanding of who they can become in [the]
community. This is the essence of meaningful hospitality." And
that's where some of her frustration lies.
"Mostly, it's frustrating not remembering people's names, people
I know. I miss the advocacy. I used to see people mistreated and
was able to jump right in, to help negotiate. Now, I don't because
I can't find the words. I miss not being involved, creating ways to
help." She is quiet for a moment, then says, "Most Chinese are
quieter than me." She smiles again.
All of that leads to occasional depression, says Pearl. "I try to
meditate and think positive things," she says. "I try to think of
the things I can still do well. I talk to people doing something
constructive. I try to do something new. And I laugh. Laughter
is good."
Her physician, Dr. Joseph Ferrara, a noted neurologist, says
flatly that "for the average patient with Parkinson Disease,
regular aerobic exercise is as important as medications. ... fatigue,
depression, sleep and impaired cognition respond to endurance
exercise training, at least to some extent. In some patients we see
marked improvements in the smoothness of medication effect
and balance." That's pretty much the result Pearl has experienced,
she says.
These days, Pearl makes a special effort to get to potlucks of
various types, often with foreign cuisine at the center. She is a
notable cook and used to have her own television cooking show. "I
TheRoanoker.com

can't cook now," she says, "but I can still eat
everything. It's a good thing my husband is
a good cook." C.C. Fu is a retired engineer.
Walking is perhaps the most difficult
of her daily routines. "The stiffness has
gotten worse," she says. "My legs freeze
and that's one reason I don't like to go to
public places." She moves at an iceberg
pace, using a walker. Getting into and out
of automobiles is a challenge and simply
sitting down after maneuvering to a chair
is a chore. "Sometimes I march to a tune,"
she says. "It helps when I sing, but my voice
is out of tune." She majored in music in
college, so her voice is a sensitive issue.
She insists that the Parkinson's she has
"is not normal Parkinson's. I don't have
some of the symptoms like tremors."
Ferrara says, "Some evidence suggests
that aerobic exercise slows the progression
of PD, so the potential gains may accrue
over time, and early initiation is preferable."
There are risks with the exercise (there's
even a boxing class for patients), but the
rewards are noteworthy.
"I hate the idea of slowness," Pearl says,
"and I stay more in the background now
and don't talk as much." It is, she says, "a
constant battle. Anxiety is bad and I worry
about things I didn't used to."
She has concerns "about my husband,
who is 10 years older than I. He's tired
and we have no family here." They have
considered moving closer to family. "He
is my caregiver," she says," a gentleness in
her voice. "He drives, cleans house, grocery
shops, gives me my medicine. I would
forget."
Pearl, though, remains undaunted
and undeterred, though often conflicted
and contradictory in her feelings about
the disease's widespread effects on her
lifestyle. "I always feel like a kid," she says
with the notable enthusiasm she has always
harbored. "But it's hard."
Still, says Barbara Durek, a longtime
supporter of Local Colors, "Pearl ... has
been able to change the world and make
it a better place." Past Local Colors
Chairwoman Jennifer Pfister concludes
that "her love for all people of Roanoke is
what makes her ... Queen of the Valley." I

MARCH/APRIL 2019

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The Roanoker - March/April 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - March/April 2019

The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - Intro
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - Cover1
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - Cover2
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 3
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 4
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 5
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 6
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 7
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 8
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - 9
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The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay1
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay2
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay3
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay4
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay5
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay6
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay7
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay8
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay9
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay10
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay11
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay12
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay13
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay14
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay15
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay16
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay17
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay18
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay19
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay20
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay21
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay22
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay23
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay24
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The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay26
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay27
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay28
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay29
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay30
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - DDay31
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The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - Cover3
The Roanoker - March/April 2019 - Cover4
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