Scott Werny, who has worked tirelessly to help preserve Sunset Beach and Waimea Valley, protect beach access and prevent overdevelopment at Turtle Bay Resort, is now facing a personal battle.

The 45-year-old Werny, a surfer, stand-up paddler and father of two, was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a degenerative nervous system disease that most often impairs motor skills and speech.

At the moment, he's nearly symptom free. And, at the moment, he's not too comfortable talking about it.

Especially when he talks about the work that the co-chairman of the Surfrider Foundation O'ahu Chapter, Tim Tybuszewski, is doing. After hearing about Werny's diagnosis, Tybuszewski decided to raise money to benefit Parkinson's disease research by asking friends and family and other Surfrider Foundation members to make a donation for every mile of an ironman triathlon he will compete in.

On Saturday, Tybuszewski will run 26.2 miles, bike for 112 miles and swim 2.4 miles on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia.

"I was thinking of doing this for quite a while," Tybuszewski said. "When I learned about Scott's health, I thought what a great way to help him out. I am asking people to donate as much or as little as they want."

So far, Tybuszewski has collected $500 in pledges to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation.

Werny knew something wasn't right with his health last March when he couldn't control his right hand. Doctors put him through a battery of tests. While none were conclusive, last summer it became clearer that his symptoms, which mirror many other diseases, were from Parkinson's.

"It's so new to me," Werny said. "It's beyond me that someone like Tim would even think of doing something like this. I'm more of a 'do something for others' kind of person, not someone who asks for help.

"I have no control over what will happen. It's a very helpless feeling."

Werny has done a lot for O'ahu. For the past dozen years, Werny has been active in the Surfrider Foundation, a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches. For nine of those years he volunteered to serve on the executive committee, and for two years he was a co-chairman.

The Surfrider Foundation was founded in 1984 by a handful of surfers in Malibu, Calif., and now has about 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.

Werny, with the help of Peter Cole, the father of the local chapter, created the John Kelly Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes those who have make the greatest contributions toward protecting or enhancing the coastal community and environment. This year, the award was given to former world surfing champion Shaun Tomson, Australian professional surfer Dave Rastovich and local company Styrophobia.

Earlier this month, the national Surfrider Foundation recognized Werny with its annual Wavemaker Award.

"I've always wanted to leave this place better, or the same, as I found it for generations to come," Werny said. "Our beaches are public property. I plan to help Surfrider when I can. I still want to help with the beach access issue."