Hello to all:
 
My name is Larry Allen.  I am a 49 year old male, diagnosed with PD about
three and one-half years ago.
 
I have remained in the shadows for the past several months while I have
perused (and appreciated) the letters from PD sufferers or their relatives or
other interested parties offering helpful advice and information, or seeking
(and often receiving) assistance or answers to sometimes annoying, sometimes
heart-breaking problems.  I have enjoyed some private e-mail correspondence
with several people from the PD Information Exchange, but because of the
recent exchange of heated letters, I feel compelled to emerge and make
whatever small contribution I can.
 
To Alan Bonander:       Thank you for your well-crafted and delightfully
literate and informative letters and articles on this Exchange.  I submit
that you have helped and given hope to more people with PD and their family
members and caregivers than you can possibly know.  I wish you well.
 
To Bob Fink:               Thanks to you for your freely given advice,
 information and opinion in your frequent contributions, and the time you
have spent giving them, when you could have quite easily and understandingly
been doing something else.
 
To Barbara Yacos:            I thank you for your many and varied postings to
this exchange which have contained much helpful information and advice.  Your
spirit and courage are an inspiration to your fellow PD'ers.  Keep your chin
up, and hope the RLS abates.
 
To Robert Carpenter and others decrying the "flame":
     There's no denying that the author in question got a little carried away
in an emotional response to an emotional issue.  I'm glad she and Dr. Fink
have apparently cleared the decks on that matter.  I feel certain he
understands the kinds of emotions these matters can generate and am pleased
that they have worked it out.  He knows his presence is appreciated here and
she knows her presence is appreciated here.  They both are valued
contributors.
 
To Peter Kidd:         You are right in saying that Parkinsonians know their
illness as well as (and often better than) the experts.  It is, indeed,
difficult for "healthy" people to fully understand or for Parkinsonians to
adequately describe what it feels like to experience the steady, progressive
deterioration and loss of many vital physical (and mental) functions, or the
frustrations, the anxieties, the depression, the despair that can accompany
these changes.  It can be  like a dark, oppressive cloud looming on the
horizon, ever-present, always moving closer, closer.
 
To all:             (a) I support the concept that this Exchange should be a
forum for information, advice, guidance and support on the subject of
Parkinson's disease, and that these communications take place in an
atmosphere of civility, even if there is disagreement.  On the other hand,
before getting too carried away in defense of civility and too spirited in
criticizing an isolated lapse, I suggest we think about it a little, and
then, try to walk a mile in the offending person's shoes....
 
                    (b) Like many other PD'ers, I've done a great deal of
reading and studying about PD, and will try to make contributions I feel
might be interesting or helpful to the group.  I am particularly interested
in research into neurotrophic factors that is going on in a number of
locations around the country, and strongly believe that within five to
fifteen years, pallidotamies, fetal cell implants and similar measures will
be a thing of the distant past, as it will be possible to generate new
dopamine-producing neurons, and/or regenerate old ones, and/or introduce
genetically altered dopamine-producing cells, which will effectively cure
Parkinson's disease.  There is reason for hope for those of us with PD as
well as other neuro-degenerative disorders.  In the meantime, we need to take
care of ourselves, exercise, eat wisely, take medication wisely, keep a
positive attitude, try not to lapse into the morass of depression, do
everything we can to retard the disorder's progression, and value and enjoy
each prescious moment of life to the fullest extent possible.  Take care of
yourself, and let's all take care to keep this exchange a shining example of
the Internet at its best.
 
Best regards,
 
Larry Allen ([log in to unmask])