Independent person

FILE PHOTO Jennifer Chadwick Young people are often believed to be self-centered and focused solely on having fun. Jennifer Chadwick is a perfect example of how mistaken that image can be.

Chadwick, who graduated from Nantucket High School this June, spent a good deal of her personal time this year raising awareness about Parkinson's disease in the hope of raising more funds for medical research on this progressive, eventually debilitating condition that, thus far, can be alleviated but not cured.

Behind her energy in holding a school assembly, hosting a support group, organizing a fundraising walk and finding ways to reach the media about the issue was the love for her father, selectman Brian Chadwick, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's about six years ago. His disease was progressing quickly, and last year he underwent surgery to implant a deep brain stimulation device using electrodes to help control his shaky motor functions. Though that procedure offered great relief to Chadwick's father, it was still a temporary solution. She wanted more for her dad and the countless others coping with Parkinson's.

Chadwick became involved with the island's Parkinson's Support Group, founded by her mother, Charlene, and brought together local Parkinson's patients to speak about their disease at a February school assembly. She went on to connect with The Michael J. Fox Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure and improving therapies for Parkinson's disease. That association led her to plan a benefit event called "Tiptoe Through the Tulips Walk for Parkinson's Disease Research" held here in May. I