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Dear Joan, I applaud your speech and your thoughts. They have sent some positive signals to me to draw upon during my OFF times, which are too numerous these days. I had successful DBS in Oct 2000 and am getting my first batteries changed on Nov 9th, 2004. I was diagnosed in 5/92 at age 37. My husband is wonderful and always knows what to say so I don't go spiraling down with depression. Having a chronic disease is frustrating for me and equally so for my husband. I feel like a hypochondriac some days because all I seem to talk about to him is "what part hurts now". We're married 32 years and I am so glad that he is sticking with me on this. By the way, I am Paula from PA. Thanks again, Joan. I really enjoyed reading your fundraiser details. Respond if you have the desire to do so. Paula ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joan E Snyder" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004 4:00 PM Subject: Lane & Barrack- follow up of murray's post > Hello Murray and all: > i would like to fill in a few details about the fundraiser that was > held for Lane Evans at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Springfield, IL. i > was invited and given a table of ten to try to fill. tickets for this > event were $500 apiece. i took as my guests: Chris (cinemaripper from > the chatroom) and my photographer and friend Craig Kendell. we drove > down to Springfield and there we met the rest of our guests: Dr.Jean > Ahlberg (a woman who i met thru this forum) & her husband, Dennis, > Dr.Craid Cady (a neuro-researcher at Bradley U who is doing remakable > aqnd wonderful work with stem cells), his lovely wife, Mary and a > friend of mine who is a drug rep for Bertek pharmaceuitals, David > Conrad. When we reached the beautiful room for the Unity Dinner, Nick, > who is Lane's Quad City campaign manager and runs Lanes home office > met me with good and bad news. the bad news was that Lane would be > unable to attend because the Republicans had called for a vote that > evening and Lane considers it his > privledge and responsability to vote on all bills. the good news was > that Nick had asked his staff to pick out four people to speak about > Lane Evans and to relate personal stories about him....and i was one > of the four!! first, the speakers table was annouced: made up of area > state Senators, state Represetatives and judges. talk about > intimidated!! fortunately, i didn't have to sit up there!! when > Barrack Obama was introduced-the place became unglued. no longer a > rising star in the Democratic party, he is now a bona-fide, real, > honest-to-goodness SUPERSTAR!! when he spoke it was of his deep care > and gratitude for Lane...who was the first to edndorse Barrack Obama > in his bid for the United State Senate. I remember being at the party > in the Quad Cities when Lane first introduced the skinny kid with the > big ears and the strange name and i remember being so taken with > then-state Senator Obama that i said that this man would be our first > Africian-American president. Barrak and his lovely wife, Michelle, > have since become very close friends of mine and it did my heart good > to hear him acknowledge the turning point in his career and pay homage > to Lane for giving Barrack the downstate exposure and giving Lane the > credit for his successes. during his speech, Barrack told a story > about the late, great Senator from IL, Paul Simon. i had just cleaned > out an old jewelry box and given my son all the rock and roll butttons > that i had and i had uncovered four old political buttons: one was > Paul Simon for US Senate, another that said "Out the door in 84-dump > Reagan," still another said "Let them eat jellybeans," and finally an > old Adlai Stevenson button which i put into my purse to be sure to > give as a gift to Lane. but when i heard Barrack speak with such > glowing memories about Paul Simon, i decieded to give that one to him. > Chris and i scurried out to the foyer in time for a quick hug and a > photo taken by Craig of Chris, Barrack and me (btw, he loved the Simon > pin and was thrilled to have it)...then we returned for a wonderful > dinner and were told stories by all of the folks at the speakers > table. Nick came over and said "ok-honey, time for you to get up > there." so David pushed my wheelchair up to the front. the master of > ceremonies intoduced the first of four speakers to tell of their > personal experiences with Lane. Nick came and told me that i would be > the clean up batter-speaking last. i decieded right then and there > that, no matter how nervous i was, i was going to hit a home run for > my friend-Lane Evans. everyone was after-dessert full and none to > lively when i got falteringly up to speak. first of all, i said that > not all drug reps are jerks because a previous speaker had pretty much > bashed drug companies for their large part in the buying and selling > of America. i said that my friend, David Conrad was indeed concerned > and caring and only trying to help the PD Community. I told them that > he is working on getting his company to print off and distribute 1,000 > copies of my video. there were some nervous coughs and snickers. off > to a great start, i thought-NOT! then i introduced myself and told > them that i have pd-just slightly longer than Lane. I told them that > the dxes of PD is a life-altering experience and it makes one > recognize the priorities in life-teaching the person patience, > compassion and litterally a much better person. i said that lane has > proven time and again that there is nothing wrong wiht his brain; that > just because he speaks more slowly and moves without the usual DC > swager, it does not impede his decison-making or ability to think a > complex issue throught completely. i said that to a person, all the > pwp's that i have met are overachievers. i said that i was outraged by > the remarks of Andrea Lane Zigna and her unbelievable attacks on > Lane's health. Her entire campaign is based on the fact that she > thinks Lane is too sick to do his job and has said so many times > during the campaign. this got me my first standing ovation. i then > told of a letter that i had recieved from Zigna in which she stated > that speed and mobility are a prerequisite in Washington; constantly > running from appointment to meeting to session and she said that we > were suffering because Lane couldn't keep up the pace. "Bullshit" > i said, "When was the last time that anything happened in hurry in > Washington???" this brought the crowd to their feet and and had them > yellling and screaming. then i went onto the subject of stem cells. i > said that i am a Catholic and i also consider myself to be very > pro-life. i said that i didn't see how protecting an egg impregnated > by artificail insemination in a test tube and then not used in the > invitro fertilzation process could possibly be more pro-life than my > friends whom i see daily going down-hill from this dreadful disease. i > introduced Dr. Cady and spoke of his work with stem cells and how even > this man, who believes in life insists that we need to use embryonic > stem cells for research in spite of successes with adult stem cells. > to those who say that there have yet to be any breakthroughs yet with > embryonic stem cells, Dr. Cady says that they are impossibly > expensive, the currant available lines are all contaminated by mouse > cells and they have only been available to use in research for less > than four years. i told the crowd that Dr.Cady undertood the need to > lift the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cells as did > Senator John Kerry, Senator John Edwards,Barrock Obama but most > especially did Lane Evans!! This brought the house down.i said, in > closing, that i did not use the term "parkinson's sufferers" or speak > of us as victims because we are not victims-everyone has a cross to > carry and this one is ours, in the words of my friend and double > amputee/skydiver Dana Bowman, "it's not the disability...it's the > ability" that counts. as i looked out at the wildly cheering crowd, i > knew that God had provided me with that extra bowl of wheeties that i > needed to get this one over the fence!! > > -- > 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 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn