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Spartans Uniting with Kirk Gibson to Battle Parkinson’s Disease

A team of MSU luminaries will gather at a unique fundraiser tomorrow that unites the Spartan Nation in raising money to fight Parkinson’s disease.  The Gibby & Friends vs. Parky pregame tailgate will be hosted in MSU’s Kellogg Center at 4:00 tomorrow.

Gibby is MSU’s renowned Kirk Gibson, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015 and in 2016 made a decision to go public with his journey.

“It was an easy decision for me to go public with my condition because if you can make a difference, you must make a difference,” says Gibson. “Ultimately, we want to get people who would normally not get together to get together and share their information and be innovative in ways to attack Parkinson’s disease.”

“It’s not about me; it’s about a huge community,” adds Gibson. “I’m doing this because it’s my obligation to give back. I believe in that 100 percent. We just want to beat this somehow, and we don’t care who gets the credit.

“Hopefully our event can encourage others to organize events to help people and someday find a cure for this disease.”

“Stepping into the batter’s box in 84 with the Tigers and 88 with the Dodgers, Gibby became an icon as he was pulling teams and cities to positive places,” says Spartans Athletic Director Mark Hollis. “And that’s what Gibby’s doing once again; he’s stepping into the batter’s box and he’s pulling an effort forward that’s going to impact so many people beyond him.”

Also tomorrow, MSU will honor Gibson’s accomplishments by retiring his football jersey at halftime of the game. Gibby shares the memory of his favorite play from his Spartan Football days, too.

MSU Today airs Sunday afternoons at 4:00 on 94.5 FM and AM 870.

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