Hallelujah.

Bonnie Clay Riley

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ivan M Suzman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 7:42 AM
Subject: Parkinson's Community REJOICING - Resolution PASSES/ TEXT follows


> Dear Gerry, Debra, Rayilyn, Maxine,
> Don McK, janet p., and many more...
>
> "Parkinson's WAVE Sweeps  Capitol"
>
>    Please celebrate with this PWP,
> who rolled around the Capitol , in a
> wheelchair, and witnessed  his Resolution
> getting UNANIMOUS SPONSORSHIP in
> the House. It was passed there at 10:03  AM,  and
> as Supplemental paper #9, under the gavel,
> in the Senate, yesterday at 1:25 PM.
>
> Here is my text, as accepted.
>
> Governor King's aide Colleen, hearing of the Parkinson's
> wave that swept the Capitol, is offering a meeting
> to us to talk about  budget proposals!
>
> PLEASE note especially, with special reference
> to funding needs, paragraph 6.
>
> God bless you alll- I felt that I was backed, even
> though I was the only PWP out there.
>
> Ivan Suzman
> Portland, Maine
> 52-39-36
> American Parkinson Disease Association
> Volunteer Liaison to the Maine Legislature
>
>
>
>
>
>         House Paper 1710      JOINT RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING PARKINSON'S
> DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH
>
>         WHEREAS, Parkinson's Disease, or Paralysis Agitans, is a tragic,
> progressive disease of the brain and spinal cord . Although it usually
> affects adults over 40 years of age, it can occur in any of 3 forms:
> Later-life  Parkinson's Disease; Young-onset Parkinson's disease, which
> affects adults under 40 years of age; and Juvenile-onset Parkinson's
> disease, which affects children  and teenagers; and
>
>         WHEREAS, Parkinson's Disease  often takes a devastating emotional,
> social, psychological, physical and financial toll on its patients, as
> well as on their families and friends; and
>
>         WHEREAS, Parkinson's Disease appears eventually in approximately
one of
> 4 persons older than 80 years of age, in one of 10 persons older than 60
> years of age, and in a significant number of  people under 35 years of
> age; and
>
>              WHEREAS, according to the American Parkinson Disease
> Association, there are an estimated 1,500,000 people in the United States
>  who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, of which an estimated
> 7,000 or more are living in the State of Maine.  There are likely to be
> as many as another 1,500,000 unknown, uncounted peoplewith Parkinson's
> Disease  who have never seen a neurologist, bringing Maine's estimated
> numbers towards 15,000 or more persons, many of whom are thought to have
> a supposedly normal "shaking palsy"; and
>
>                WHEREAS, there are an estimated 60,000 new patients
> diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease annually in the United States, one
> every 9 minutes, or 6 new patients every hour; and
>
>                 WHEREAS, Maine has no Parkinson's Disease public
> education curricula or programs, no Parkinson's-oriented human services,
> no established medical specialist clinics , no medical specialist
> educators, no adult care programs, no mobile diagnostic teams, no human
> services specialists,no  police or fire department education programs,no
> justice and courtroom personnel training, no ambulance or rescue worker
> training courses,no adapted housing units, no long-term home-care
> planners, no counselling and support specialists, particularly for the
> financially needy and the people affected by Parkinson's Disease who
> reside alone,  despite pressing need statewide; and
>
>                 WHEREAS many people with Parkinson's Disease encounter
> precarious legal and personal situations when they are mistakenly thought
> to be under the influence of  illegal or prescription drugs or alcohol,
> due to the their unusual movement and gait patterns; and
>
>         WHEREAS, Parkinson's Disease causes a loss of cell function deep
within
> the brain,and it is  currently an incurable brain disorder of unknown
> origin that disrupts and can end the lives of those who suffer from it:
> and
>
>         WHEREAS, the visible symptoms of Parkinson's Disease, which are
>  tremors, slowness of movement, shuffling gait, difficulty with balance,
> malfunction of vocal cords, lessened facial expression, and the internal
> problems, including  changes in blood pressure, hypothermia, loss of
> visual and auditory reflexes, urinary and kidney-related difficulties and
> brain chemistry disruptions causing emotional changes, are often mistaken
> as a normal part of the aging process; and
>
>         WHEREAS, medications can only control some of the symptoms of
> Parkinson's Disease and only for uncertain periods of time; and
>
>         WHEREAS, there is a great need for further training and education
in the
> medical and legal professions to protect the  rights of persons with
> Parkinson's Disease; and
>
>         WHEREAS, there is an urgent need for a Parkinson's Disease clinic
in
> Maine to give patients easier  access to specialists in Parkinson's
> Disease, and to provide more effective support programs and services to
> Parkinson's Disease patients and their caregivers and families; and
>
>         WHEREAS, increased research is needed to help find more effective
> treatments and ultimately to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease; and
>
>         WHEREAS, full implementation of federal law, the Morris K. Udall
> Parkinson's Disease Research Act of 1997, which directs the National
> Institutes of Health to spend up to $100,000,000 annually on Parkinson's
> Disease research, needs continued support; and
>
>         WHEREAS, April 11th has been proclaimed World Parkinson's Disease
Day, a
> day for all to recognize the need for fundamental research, and to
> provide the public with new, open channels of help as they battle against
>  the devastating effects of Parkinson's Disease; and
>
>         WHEREAS, the leading public officials of the State and leading
medical
> educators  in the State's medical community are now called upon to aid in
> reversing the invisibility and virtual voicelessness of its citizens
> suffering from Parkinson's Disease; and
>
>               WHEREAS, three prominent North Americans, Muhammad Ali,
> Michael J. Fox and former Attorney-General Janet Reno, who are afflicted
> with Parkinson's DIsease, are perhaps the only  recognized and publicly
> known Parkinson's Disease advocates appearing in the media;
>
>          now, therefore, be it RESOLVED:  That We, the Members of the One
> Hundred and Twentieth Legislature, now assembled in the Second Regular
> Session, recognize the month of April as Parkinson's Disease Awareness
> Month throughout the State; and be it further
>
>         RESOLVED:  That suitable copies of this resolution, duly
authenticated
> by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the Maine Parkinson Society
> , the Maine Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association, and
> the state's Board of Licensure in Medicine.
>
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