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Hello Again, All I can say is WOW! I can't tell you how all of your feedback to my story has meant to me. I started a media campaign in December, prior to me even having my head shaved. I sent a press release, photo's and information about PD and what I was going to do to every media source I could think of as well as EVERY US Congressperson and Senator and my state governor. I wanted to educate the public and thought that maybe someone would be interested if I did something unusual... I said in my press release that after the chance for infection was gone, I would allow people to autograph my shaved head for a donation for Parkinson's Research/Funding/Benevolence, etc. As you know, I never got that far but more importantly, I would NEVER consider doing that again, because of infection risk. I was not as successful as I had hoped to be but there was one source that said that they would do the story, my local newspaper, The Charlotte Observer. What was to have been a one day, pass in the night story has turned into a 4 day run covering everything that has happened. This issues will cover: What it is like to live with Parkinson’s and the quality of life issues that led to my decision to have the surgery, the surgery itself, the success of the surgery, the staph infection which resulted in the removal of the DBS, the drug induced illness that I wrote about in my previous post and finally why I want to have the surgery again and the message that I am trying to convey to the public. What I earnestly want to get across is that PD is real, our population is aging, if the public does not get off their tails and do something NOW, then look at me, I could be their future, they could have to make the choice I had to make. Would/Do they find that acceptable? What makes this more wonderful is that the story will be sent along the wire via Associated Press and Night Ridder to all of their subscribers. It will then be up to the local radio/television/newspapers here in US as to whether they choose to run the story or not. My hope back in December and again after seeing your feedback, is that you will call/fax/email your local media/politicians and tell them YOUR story. Make yourself known in your own town and tell how you feel about what is/is not being done, not only to help yourself but future generations as well. Then tell them about the story that will be coming along the wire to them about me (if they subscribe to or are owned/operated by one of services mentioned above). There is enough time for this to snowball. There is something you can do. I know that I am not alone in what I want to accomplish. I see so much frustration in the posts about people just not understanding or misunderstanding what PD is and what choices are available for PWP. I must admit, I am very nervous about having written this. When I asked for help from the online community back in December I received some negative feedback from people stating that are not comfortable trying to push this down the throat, so to speak, of people who have shown no interest in listening to begin with or misunderstanding that I am trying to sensationalize my own personal battle with PD. Please, Please, Please, understand what is in my heart… I am sick and tired of being the victim and I refuse to play that roll any more! I looked at what I was complaining about and then looked at what I, one “nobody,” can do and what the cost/benefit of such would be. I remember stating to a friend that if it takes a clown to bring people to the circus, then use me as the clown. I analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that the greatest cost was only my pride and the benefit could potentially be tremendous for many. The other option was to do nothing which to me left me in the roll of victim. To me, that was unacceptable. My request of you therefore is just that, a request. Do or don’t do what you feel comfortable with. Regardless, I will continue to scream and make waves wherever I can until the day I die. Like I have stated before, I want to live and know that future generations will never have to go through what we have and never have to make the choices we have had to make. I want this disease to be a part of the history books which in time, all will have no recall of what it was really like to have or know someone who has had PD. I have been told that the story will run March 17 – 20. I pray that this does not change. I have also been told that the story will be available online at http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/ All I ask of you is to follow your own heart, Deborah aka Tenacity Wins But for the Grace of God, Go I! _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn