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At 09:11 AM 9/25/02 , Linda Herman wrote: >There is a nice article in today's Kansas City Star about Barbara >Blake-Krebs, long-time PIEN member: When such a wonderful story as this about a listmember appears in a newspaper, it is certainly worth sharing with the list for posterity: Local woman's book is how-to guide for dealing with Parkinson's disease By KATI JIVIDEN The Kansas City Star It doesn't take much to make Barbara Blake-Krebs smile. But sometimes that smile is hidden behind the mask. Her husband of 20 years, Fred Krebs, a history professor at Johnson County Community College, says he will tell her a joke about Bill and Hillary Clinton if she doesn't smile. It's too late. The crinkles are evident at the corners of her mouth. The glow is in her eyes. Barbara Blake-Krebs, a Merriam resident who moved into the Delmar Gardens care center in Lenexa about eight months ago, has been fighting Parkinson's, a degenerative, neurological disease, for 17 years. Last year, she co-authored a book, When Parkinson's Strikes Early, with a Buffalo, N.Y., woman she met on the Parkinson's Information Exchange Network, an Internet support group. With accounts from more than 70 network members, the book gives a voice to those living with the disease. Soon, a second edition will be released, adding several thousand more copies. The book, published by Hunter House in California, costs $15.95. It is available at local bookstores and on the Internet. "I'm really ecstatic about it," Blake-Krebs, 61, said through a voice projector. "It's gotten nothing but kind praise." That praise will continue this weekend when Blake-Krebs is honored by her friends, Delmar Gardens and the Parkinson's Association of Greater Kansas City. The reception, planned by Blake-Krebs' longtime friend Shirley Wagner of Overland Park, will be from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday at Delmar Gardens, 9701 Monrovia St. "(Barbara) has created a legacy with her life and especially with the book that has enriched and benefited society," Wagner said. "She has and still does continue to make a positive difference in the world. She is a woman of great wisdom and vision and tenacity. I think we must pay honor to such a spirit." Proceeds from the book benefit Parkinson's research. Medications are available, but a cure is not. "It may surprise you that a cure for and the prevention of Parkinson's is not my fondest dream," Blake-Krebs wrote on page 201 of her book. "That would be something even more complicated and universal: love and joy in every earthling's heart and the ability to work together and live peaceably." Blake-Krebs, jokingly self-described as a "Class A Bum," is a humorous woman with few words. Anytime she's asked a question, wittily she replies, "It's in the book," and cracks a smile. The disease makes it hard to move her muscles, including those in her face. She had hoped the book would be titled Behind the Mask. Instead, it was named to be up front about what the book is about, Fred Krebs said. Once considered a disease of older people, Parkinson's is now being correctly diagnosed earlier, affecting more people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Blake-Krebs was diagnosed at 44. Actor Michael J. Fox was 30. "Barbara is not big on inspiration," her husband said. "She's big on things happening. This is a how-to book. She wants people to know there is life after Parkinson's disease. "This is a way to talk to people, on how to cope with the elephant in the living room. They need chronic care. With Parkinson's it's all about how to do things for yourself, how to get connected into various networks." Blake-Krebs, formerly an advocate for women's issues and peace, moved from Minnesota in 1955 to the Kansas City area, where she attended Shawnee Mission High School for three years before moving to Joplin, Mo. She graduated in the top 10 from Joplin High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and later a master's from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After traveling the world, Blake-Krebs attended a class at UMKC on how to start a community radio station. After 11 years of fund-raisers, grants and other means of paying the bills, a community radio station -- then called Mid-Coast Community Radio, now KKFI-FM 90.1 -- debuted. It is still going strong in Westport. Blake-Krebs, a former seven-year radio board president, led efforts with David Dye, Gil Werner, Tom and Woodrow Crane and Rachel Kaub. "She provided opportunities for women and minorities," Fred Krebs said. Blake-Krebs -- a playwright, writer and journalist -- has given up most of her roles. Parkinson's makes it hard for her to do a lot of things she once did. But her husband, whom she married at Colonial Church in Prairie Village 20 years ago next month, has been her shoulder to lean on. He visits her every day at Delmar. Blake-Krebs has been deciding whether to write a new last chapter for the book the past two years, Wagner said. "The impact on her family, being hospitalized and separated from her husband ... ." She may not have to worry about it. Fred Krebs might just do that himself. "She's one of Johnson County's secrets," he said. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn