here it is, friday afternoon, and i must say i am worn out but for GOOD reasons!  calls from newly diagnosed patients are coming in, meetings set up with them, a call from a frazzled caregiver came in and fortunately i was able to connect her with two large regional agencies who service her area. [she's too far away for me to drive easily with my broken foot!].  lots of phone calls, e-mails, downloads and even snail mail involved in getting support to those who need it.  while at the moment i am a little t-i-r-e-d, this is exactly what i wanted to see happen...pd awareness & support spreading through these rural counties in the sierra mountain foothills!  i feel so blessed that i have the energy and ability to bring education, support and comfort to others on this pd journey.  namaste

if you are just cruising through pd sites, checking out journals, boards and chat rooms, ask yourself "what have i done t-o-d-a-y to help cure pd?" if the answer is "nothing", please realize that if each of us, every day, do even just a little to work for a cure for parkinsons....we'd see it very soon!  don't depend on the other guy to take action.  take responsibility for your own actions and do what you CAN do to help all of us who have pd.  some people have the mental and physical capabilities, and the money!, to attend conferences across the country to advocate for us.  some of us can no longer go on the road, yet can travel the globe with our computers.  while chatting and posting can be gratifying and helps us to feel less isolated, those activities do not move pd to the front of awareness of the decision makers--legislators--who seem to hold our fates ~ our futures ~ in their hands.  balance is an appropriate word to use now:  please balance your visiting with actions that will help us find a cure.  have you signed up for the muhammad ali parkinson registry? [www.maprc.com]  the parkinson action network e-mail alert system is working miracles daily in the fight for expanded stem cell research.  it's so easy to sign up, to send those pre-written letters to the appropriate legislators, to make a real difference in the laws of this land! [www.parkinsonsaction.org]  how about exploring clinical trials?  no matter where you live, why don't you contact APT, advancing parkinsons therapies at pdtrials.org. and ask to be notified of studies for which you might qualify?  the sooner WE, as a group, take action, the sooner we will see positive results. so enjoy your posts and chats then please take a few minutes each day to participate in activities that will truly change our world.  namaste ~ sarah