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Dear Art, Your note was the first I'd heard of Barb's death. Probably there are others like me who read PIENO still even though we don't write much, and who appreciate what a good friend you were to her. Barb was "out there" witty, silly, wise, and kind. She expressed herself colorfully and without inhibition. PIENO opened up the world for all of us in the young-onset crowd in the early '90's. Barb poured out her thoughts and feelings, showing how the List could mean more than just exchanging medical information. We watched her blossom into a source of support for so many people on her bulletin board, PIENO, her "Parkies on the Town" where we'd meet at a restaurant every month for fun. She worked up enthusiasm in her own support group for going dancing, even having a bowling party. Every year one or two of us early PIENO members "pass on", most of us from ailments only peripherally related to PD if it's true that PD appears to slow everything down -- Alan Bonander asthma, Joe Bruman gastro-intestinal, Stacey Collichio cancer, Mario Gonzales heart. Then Ginny Morgan, Lisa Greenstadt, Marty Polonsky, Marge Herman, strong people who apparently became exhausted so didn't recover when minor hurdles came up. I feel the hardest thing about aging is saying goodbye to the people who were able to share all the stories and experiences of the past. it's also the best thing about aging. Having rich memories of those stories and experiences is real wealth. Quoted by Linda Herman and Barbara Blake-Krebs in "When Parkinson's Strikes Early," Barbara said it best: "I see myself evolving, but at the same time, PD is forcing me to narrow my world. i tend to take life's side streets now instead of heading for life's freeways. Once upon a time I'd have been bored to tears traveling through life in the 'slow lane,' but now I find there are tons of interesting things as well as interesting people lining those little offbeat roads. I've come to know and enjoy them as they add to my life in many ways." Mary coordinator of PDLA (not to be confused with LAPD) --- a bulletin of events related to PD in the Los Angeles area diagnosed 1990 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn