Boater battles Parkinson's Disease

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WPRI) - A local boater battles Parkinson's Disease and while he does not let the incurable disease stop him from following his dreams, he is cautious.

Bob Preston pushed aside his symptoms for two years but now he is back in the water.

"It's not a question of if I fall in the water, God forbid it's when I fall in the water I have the jacket on," Preston said.

Still able to navigate through the water, you cannot tell Preston is affected.

"You're out of sorts, you're not firing on all eight cylinders. You're lethargic, you've got some aches and pains."

Preston was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease four years ago.

"As I understand there are about 20 symptoms. Everybody gets some of them but no one gets all of them."

For example, Preston does not have tremors. His hands remain steady on the wheel and although it will only get worse, he refuses to give into the disease.

"I'm going to fight this disease head on and I won't fail."

Now, Preston is heading down the Atlantic Coast and into the Caribbean to tell his story.

"With all the detours, it will be 5,000 miles and Parkinson's is not going to stop me. There is no cure for it. The purpose of this is to spread awareness of the disease."

But Preston will not be alone on his optimism tour. His wife will join him.

"The admiral comes with me, that's my wife. And in fact, in the real bad weather, the heavy fog, she's the one who drives."

He hopes to spread optimism to others in tough situations throughout his trip.

"And that applies to anyone in any situation of challenge. Whether they're fighting Parkinson's, MS, cancer. Whether they're having difficult financial times."

The goal for the optimism tour is the is to raise $150,000. Preston is paying for the tour himself but every penny donated along the way will go straight to "Funding a Cure" for what he plans on beating.