Playing For Parkinson's: Winnetka Man Plans 24-Hour Tennis-A-Thon

WINNETKA, IL — A decade ago, Mike DeBartolo was training for his first marathon when he recognized the first signs something was wrong.

The avid athlete and Winnetka native was living in New York City at the time, and the 2011 New York Marathon happened to fall on his 50th birthday.

"I thought, 'Well, that's a sign, let's try this,'" DeBartolo recalled this week. "I enjoyed training for it, but the odd thing was I was getting weaker with endurance as I trained. I knew something was not right about that."

It would be six more years of difficulty and uncertainty before doctors diagnosed him with young onset Parkinson's disorder. Even before the diagnosis was official, DeBartolo found himself having to adapt.

DeBartolo, who would leave his magazine publishing job and pivot to a new career in development, and his wife Terry, originally from Glen Ellyn, moved back to Winnetka to be closer to their aging parents. His attitude on life changed as he learned to give up control and put more trust in a higher power.

"You face this adversity, don't need to face it alone. [You] can face it with God, can face it with our family, can face it with friends, can face it with being active, with having a good attitude," he said.

Staying active since his diagnosis has been key for DeBartolo, who has shifted his sporting pursuits in response to some of the physical difficulties that accompany his neurodegenerative disorder.

"Continuing to play and find joy is kind of crucial," DeBartolo told Patch. "For me, it's not only being active, it's being playful, finding ways to play, which is probably a good thing for all of us — but particularly with this condition — and if you can do that with joy, and when you can do that with friends and family, that matters all the more."

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An accomplished golfer and tennis player, DeBartolo found ways to work around some of the coordination challenges caused by his Parkinson's symptoms.

DeBartolo developed his own techniques for making birdie by pulling off puts and chip shots using his non-dominant left hand on the golf course. Similarly, he found it effective to focus backhand on the tennis court.

When training revealed the 112-mile bicycle portion of a full Ironman triathlon would not be feasible, he cut the distances in half and pulled it off.

Instead of running a marathon, he walked them — one along the lake with his daughter and the Winnetka playfields, where he held his first Parkinson's charity benefit last September.

For the Par for Parkinson's "golf-a-thon" event, DeBartolo played 100 holes of golf on the par 3 course and raised about $20,000 for Parkinson's care and cure initiatives. He plans to repeat the feat over two days in mid-September.

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And next month, DeBartolo is organizing another fundraising based around playing sports.

The 2021 Play for Parkinson's event at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center gets underway at noon on July 10, the start of a 24-hour tennis marathon.

The event is being held in partnership with the Winnetka Park District, and donations will be split between the Parkinson's Foundation and the Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Northwestern University.

Art Nielsen Jr., an avid tennis player and the son of the namesake of the park district's 20-court tennis center, also developed Parkinson's later in life before his death in 2011 at the age of 92.

From 2 to 4 p.m. on the marathon's first day, teaching pros from the tennis center will offer an instructional clinic for beginning, intermediate and advanced players who have Parkinson's.

At 4 p.m., DeBartolo plans to address attendees prior to a planned exhibition match featuring his nephew, two-time state champion at the high school level and All-American Robert Stineman, and other high-level tennis players.

DeBartolo said he will not be on the court for the full 24-hours, and members of New Trier High School's tennis teams may take part to keep the tennis marathon's momentum through the overnight hours

Interested players can sign up for time slots during the marathon online. Players with Parkinson's can learn more or RSVP for the tennis clinic, and anyone can donate to the cause.

DeBartolo hopes the first-ever Play for Parkinson's tennis event brings together the community of people with Parkinson's together with the Winnetka community and, more broadly, the entire North Shore tennis community.

"Not all of us with Parkinson's are as open as I am," DeBartolo said. "I feel like this is a condition that may be hard enough — why should I tackle it on my own? And I'm thankful for a loving wife, loving family, caring friends. I lean into faith.

"But some of that is talking to people, and whether they've got Parkinson's or another condition, it's helpful for people to inspire each other," he added. "At least, I know it's helpful for me, and it's hard to do that if you keep stuff like this to yourself. So not everybody is open about their condition, but those that are, they recognize they're not alone, and they can feed off each other."