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Dear Listmembers, How extraordinarily fortunate we are! Whoever would have thought that someone like Michael J. would have come forward for us? the People with Parkinson's "Isn't that something that 'old' people get?" in other words, people who don't count, people who have no power, people who must depend on younger ones to champion them. The genuine charm and warmth that MJ Fox brings to our cause are the qualities that best complement the strengths of our not-so-famous leaders . Find a transcript of the Letterman interview and you'll see. As a relative old-timer (first symptoms in 1980, diagnosed 1990), I've been around the track a few times (pardon the pun. yes, I did finish the LA Marathon 2000 as a Team Parkinson member, albeit as number 17,083). So let me use this beloved list as a soapbox: hey, everybody -- join every damn Parkinson's organization -- it's free. Ask a gazillion questions of all of them to show that you care and don't worry if those questions have been asked before. And scrape together every penny for Parkinson's. And most of all, recognize that you've been given a gift, a wakeup call to savor each and every moment. Letterman: so what is it? a disease? a condition? MJ Fox: it's a drag. Mary Yost, age 52, diagnosed 1990, danced last summer at my son's wedding who may have said once too often: "It's not a disease. It's an adventure."