A Hermitage man recently took part in the eighth annual Parkinson's Action Network Forum in Washington, D.C., which aims to find a cure for Parkinson's disease.

Greg Sterling, 49, a former Hermitage policeman, spent the time in Washington learning about Parkinson's advocacy, lobbying legislators and hearing from others afflicted with the disease.

The Parkinson's Action Network, or PAN, is lobbies Congress to obtain funds for Parkinson's research.

"The goal is to come up with a cure in five years, 10 years at the outset," Sterling said.

He acknowledged that 10 years will probably be too late for him, but it will "probably be someone else's turn."

"I'm hoping it's five years or less," he said.

Sterling was forced to retire at age 45 because of Parkinson's disease. He was diagnosed at 35.

"It got to be so hard to work I had to quit," Sterling said. "I worked 10 years with it at the police department. The medicine worked pretty well. After 10 years, I just quit. I couldn't hide it anymore."

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder caused by the degeneration and death of cells that produce a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine transmits signals from the brain that tell the body when, where and how much to move, according to information from the Parkinson's Action Network.

The three main symptoms of Parkinson's include uncontrollable shaking, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement. They increase in severity as cell loss continues, and eventually combine to lessen balance and impair basic body functions.

Parkinson's can be environmental or genetic. Sterling said he is the only one in his family who has the disease.

Despite having the disease for almost 15 years, Sterling said he is doing "fairly well." He can still drive, although not for long distances, because his medication makes him sleepy.

He takes pills to relieve his symptoms, but the medication won't stop the deterioration of his cells. Eventually he will be completely disabled.

Sterling first heard about the Parkinson's Action Network and the forum in Washington, D.C., through a Parkinson's Web site -- youngparkinsons.com.

"It seems like a lot of Parkinson's people are on the computer," Sterling said. "About 10 of us from that group went. We all met down there. We had a really good time."

The forum ran from May 18 to Thursday. Sterling returned on Wednesday.

PAN trains people with Parkinson's to become advocates for curing the disease. Sterling said finding a cure for Parkinson's may lead to cures for other diseases. Multiple sclerosis, amyotropic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injuries all tie in with Parkinson's, he said.

Before becoming involved with PAN, Sterling did a little advocacy work on his own. When actor Michael J. Fox left the ABC television show "Spin City" because he had Parkinson's, Sterling appeared on ABC affiliate WYTV's "Health Matters," to talk about the disease. He also did a radio spot on WPIC.

Scholarships were available to pay for Sterling's trip. He plans to return next year, even if he has to pay for it himself.

"I learned a lot," he said.

On Tuesday, Sterling said, everyone was sent to Capitol Hill to visit their senators and representatives. Sterling spoke with U.S. Rep. Phil English, Erie R-21st, and Sen. Arlen Specter, Philadelphia R-Pennsylvania. He said both congressmen were "pretty receptive."

One thing that most Parkinson's victims are upset about, Sterling said, is the Brownback Bill, which would outlaw stem cell research and all cloning.

Sterling said there are two types of cloning: human cloning, which most people are not in favor of, and therapeutic cloning, which does not use a fertilized egg and can be used to find cures for diseases such as Parkinson's.

"If it gets passed," Sterling said. "It would be detrimental to scientific research."

News anchor Sam Donaldson served as emcee of the PAN forum. Guest speakers included Morton Kondracke, who wrote the book "Saving Milly" about his Parkinson's-afflicted wife; Fox, who wrote the book "Lucky Man" about his experience and the wife of boxer Muhammed Ali, who has Parkinson's, spoke on his behalf.

"The whole room was just packed ... they couldn't believe how many people were there," Sterling said. "It was standing-room only. It was encouraging because they wanted to see things done (to cure Parkinson's disease) as soon as possible."

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Erin Remai at eremai@sharon-herald.com.