Empowering ourselves through being patient-advocates
Dear listmembers,
On Jan. 28, I posted a sample draft of our propsed Kansas Proclamation.
Well, just call me the "tinkerer" (just ask Linda and Jeanette!) -- below is
the actual copy I sent to Topeka this a.m. I preferred it because it has
more specificity
Regards,
Barbara Blake-Krebs [log in to unmask]
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STATE OF KANSAS
PROCLAMATION
By The
GOVERNOR
TO THE PEOPLE OF KANSAS, GREETINGS:
WHEREAS, The health of the people are one true measure of the State; and
WHEREAS, Parkinson's Disease is a brain disorder that affects 14,000 or
more Kansans of all ages; more than the combined number of those afflicted
with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's Disease; and
WHEREAS, because the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease may vary widely not
only from one individual to another but also from moment to moment for a
particular sufferer; and may include a masked face, stillness, tremor,
rigidity, slowness, poor movement, difficulty with balance and speaking; and
are only partially controlled with medications (often creating other
disabling side effects) and/or surgical procedures, it is often easy for
others to misunderstand the situation of those afflicted; and
WHEREAS, while the cause(s), prevention or cure of Parkinson's Disease are
still not known, many scientists believe that breakthroughs in Parkinson's
research are more likely to come first in this class of diseases and will
lead to insights about other classic neurodegenerative diseases, e.g.
Alzheimer's Huntington's and ALS;
WHEREAS, Increased education and research are needed to help find more
effective treatments and ultimately a cure for Parkinson's Disease, and
national funders of Parkinson research like the National Parkinson Foundation
and the National Institutes of Health are now actively seeking promising
research to fund and are creating a 5-year agenda for finding a cure; and ;
WHEREAS, The Neurological Department of the University of Kansas Medical
Center is one major U.S. center conducting ongoing research to improve
treatments and to discover a cure; and
WHEREAS, April 14th is the 16th annual symposium held in the Greater
Kansas City area to educate Kansans and others by the Parkinson Association
of Greater Kansas City and the National Parkinson Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Kansans need to be aware of the location and level of services of
16 known support groups throughout Kansas; and to be aware of internet
support groups and resources; and to examine how we can provide more
effective support programs and services to Parkinson's Disease patients,
their caregivers and families, and
WHEREAS, April 11 has been proclaimed to be World Parkinson's Day;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF KANSAS, do
hereby proclaim April, 2000 as
P A R K I N S O N' S D I S E A S E A W A R E N E S S M O N T H
throughout the State of Kansas, and urge all citizens to extend
financial support for Parkinson research and moral support to those who
are struggling with Parkinson's Disease.
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