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i was out of town last weekend so that we could watch our daughter play in the state finals for girl's high school golf. i called the local hospital and got the name of the local head of the pd support group. having never met me nor heard of me, this man and his wife took the time to come by my hotel and to visit with me. it seems that we had always known each other. it is this kind of comraderie that i have found alive and well and on this listserv. this is the greatest accomplishment that i can think of...that accomplishment of promoting information, fair play, friendship and the ability to bond with so many and varied others. when i first found this list, my first contact was with camilla flintermann. how lucky i was!! she told me all the details and i joined. this was 8 or 9 years ago and i had to ask my children to turn on the computer for me. i had no idea of what lay ahead of me-my thought at the time was: if this is all that parkinson's has to throw at me-this is gonna be a cakewalk. boy, was i ever in for a rude awakening! now, i feel that i am a veteren in the pd wars. i have had two pallidotomies, co-edited a book with fellow listmember, held 8 parkinson events and had adventures that i would have never believed that i could ever experience....and it comes back to this list and the friendships that i have developed here. i have yet to meet a pwp that hasn't become a friend and i have had the good fortune to meet lots and lots of folks from the parkinson community in person. but i can also count among my friends, the people here who i have yet to meet: folks like murray, janet,don, jo ann, linda, edith and the countless others who have helped me by listening to my rants , and by helping me to form a position paper on stem cell research, by suffering with me when i suffered, laughing with me when i laughed, crying with me when i cried and who stretched out a hand to hold when i was loosing my grip. donald "flash" mckinley, it made my heart sing to see your post and it also made me realize that we couldn't have made a better choice when we dedicated our book to you. to barb, john, alan, dennis, marling, camilla, jerry and all the countless others who have made such a profound and lasting impression upon my soul......i thank you one and all from the bottom of my heart. the only way that such a debt may be paid is by offering to newly diagnosed pwp's, the kindness, support and sense of family that has always been nurtured here. i hope that in some way, i can give what has been given me. joan -- Joan E. Blessington Snyder 51/13 http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm <[log in to unmask]> "Hang tough...........no way through it but to do it." Chris-in-the-Morning (Northern Exposure) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn