When Jayne Godfrey was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2008 — following a series of misdiagnoses and misdirection — the Spanish Fort woman did not immediately embrace the answer doctors gave her.

At 40, Godfrey said she couldn’t quite reconcile having a degenerative neurological disorder that will systematically rob her of her motor skills and function. But as time — and information — helped her come to terms with the disorder affecting an estimated 5 million people worldwide, Godfrey said she reached out to find comfort and strength in the stories of others sharing her experience.

“I’m only 41, and that’s young for this disease, and I knew there had to be other younger, energetic people out there dealing with this too, but when I started trying to find my connection here in this area, there just wasn’t anything there,” she said.

Undeterred, Godfrey contacted the national Michael J. Fox  Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and decided rather quickly that she could help launch the group’s presence along the Eastern Shore. Sitcom and movie actor Michael J. Fox has been an outspoken advocate for increased research into the motor system disorder expected to elicit 60,000 new diagnoses in the United States in 2009.

And while their numbers might be small, Godfrey said she and a handful of other organizers helped orchestrate the first TeamFox fundraiser at the Bluegill one week ago benefiting the foundation and nailing their goal of $20,000.

“We did a terrific job, and I’m just so proud that we could have this level of impact in our first endeavor,” Godfrey said, noting she is hopeful the group will actually exceed the ambitious goal once last-minute donations trickle in between now and the end of October. Godfrey estimated between 300 and 350 patrons attended the benefit, leaving cars parked all along the Causeway to enjoy the festivities.

And the national foundation’s credibility is already having a positive impact, she said, with the Eastern Shore now added to the organization’s billboard awareness campaign.

“All I was really trying to do was find other people like me — spunky people with a lot of energy — and maybe some friends to hang out with who know what I’m going through, and the response has just been unbelievable,” she said.

In fact, a formal support group is now in the works, and Godfrey said it will not be limited to Parkinson’s patients but will also include caregivers and family members.

An estimated 5 million people worldwide are believed to be living with the chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects one in 100 people 60 and older. It is not uncommon for onset to begin — yet go undiagnosed — by the age of 40, and people as young as 30 have been diagnosed.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Parkinson’s disease is most likely attributed to the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells, but the underlying cause for the cell loss has not yet been determined.

To date, Fox’s foundation has raised $149 million toward answering such questions and pursuing a cure.

Above all, Godfrey said she has been amazed by the responsiveness of the Eastern Shore community to the cause and heartened by the tremendous success of such a small group of people in pulling off such a significant event.

“People told me from the very beginning not to even try doing something like this because I needed to consider my health and not allow myself to get overwhelmed, but we did it, and it was wonderful,” she said. “We’re literally talking about a handful of people that was able to pull this thing together and accomplish something we can be proud of, and it just reminds me that it is amazing what you can do if you believe in yourself. You really can do something bigger than yourself if you just try.”

For more information about the creation of an Eastern Shore support group for Parkinson’s Disease, contact Godfrey directly at (251) 455-9919.