I haven't heard about Lou Hobbs before, but after reading this article,
i admire the way Lou and his family are dealing with pd. Maybe other list
members have more to add about this musician and PWP.

FROM:
 The Associated Press State & Local Wire
 March 2, 2002, Saturday, BC cycle

HEADLINE: Lou's not singing the blues over disease; AP MISSOURI PANORAMA
BYLINE: By SAM BLACKWELL, (Cape Girardeau) Southeast Missourian
DATELINE: CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo.

"   One wall of the new recording studio behind Lou Hobbs' house near
Trail of
Tears State Park is lined with memorabilia collected since his first
single,
"Mama Mama Mama," was released.

   To commemorate Hobbs' 40 years in the business, "Mama Mama Mama" is
being
re-released in Europe and on the Internet as a digitally remastered
two-song CD
that also includes "All That Heaven Sent."

   Not without a fight does the 60-year-old Rockabilly Hall of Fame
member give
an inch to the Parkinson's disease that has dogged him for the past few
years.
He can't play lead guitar and sing at the same time anymore, but his
handshake
is crushing. His raspy speech can be difficult to understand, but the
jokes are
in there for anyone who's listening.

   "Parkinson's Disease Blues," one of hundreds and hundreds of songs
Hobbs has
recorded over the past four decades, is at least part of the story of his
life
now.

   Denial was Hobbs' reaction to the first symptom of Parkinson's
disease, a
pinkie that trembled when he played guitar. Then things started happening
he
couldn't ignore as the realities of the disease set in.

   "My chin was down by my belt buckle," Hobbs said. "I didn't know what
to do."

   He is not one to pity himself. "The hand has been dealt, and how you
play it
is up to you," he said.

   He soon went to Nashville and recorded a new CD and started releasing
songs
in Europe. Since 1998, he has had 19 songs in the European independent
Top 40
charts. He has played to thousands of people at European festivals
featuring
rockabilly bands over the past three years. He remains a manager for
Greater
Missouri Builders.

   But there have been setbacks. Two months ago, KFVS-TV dropped "The Lou
Hobbs
Show" after nearly 16 years on the air.

   Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that in
some form
affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. Symptoms can include
uncontrollable
movements, problems with balance and walking, as well as depression,
sleep
disturbances and dizziness. No cause has been identified.

   There is no cure, although recent genetic research makes Hobbs hopeful
and
impatient.

   He doesn't have the high profile of other Parkinson's victims like
Muhammad
Ali, Michael J. Fox and Janet Reno, but because of his music career and
long-running television show he is the most well-known person in the
region with
Parkinson's disease. He also has diabetes and allergies.

   He takes 11 1/2 pills each day. Many cases of Parkinson's disease can
be
controlled with drugs, says Gary Anderson, director of patient care and
neurosciences at Southeast Missouri Hospital.

   The medical treatment usually consists of drugs that help replace the
dopamine the brain is losing. Parkinson's can be mistaken for other
neurological
disorders, Anderson said.

   "Some people might say you just have a nervous tic," he said.

   Hobbs' wife of 41 years, Nancy, says he's really not much different
from her
pre-Parkinson's husband.

   "You just have to have a little more understanding," she said. "If you
love
someone, it really doesn't matter if he has Parkinson's disease or not."

   He doesn't want to be treated any differently from a normal person.

   "I wonder what it would feel like to be normal again," he said. "But I
never
was very normal. Just ask anybody who played music with me."

   As many musical accomplishments as he has had, he's proudest of his
five
daughters. "My kids have all succeeded," he said. "What kind of example
would I
be if I didn't fight?"

   No disease just affects the person who has it, Hobbs says. "It hurts
my kids
to see me struggling."

   The youngest daughter, also named Nancy, is a senior at Southeast
Missouri
State majoring in physical education. Her father gets frustrated when he
can't
play the guitar, she says.

   "I think about that myself. I would hate to know how to do something
and not
be able to do it," the younger Nancy Hobbs said. "That would drive me
crazy."

   While everyone is aware that the disease is degenerative, that's not
what the
family concentrates on. "Our focus is to get on with life. Take it as it
comes
and try to make the best of what you're given," she says.

   "No matter how hard it is, God's got a reason for it."

   Her father currently is hatching a plan to build a place behind his
house to
have shows.

   If Hobbs will never give up, Parkinson's disease can be relentless,
too. The
only time he forgets about having it is when he goes fishing at one of
the
nearby lakes. "Nobody can bother me," he says, "and I can forget all
about it.
When I'm fishin', I'm free.

   "That would make a good song title, wouldn't it?" he said."

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