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Date: Sun, 12 Mar 95 13:29:24 EST From: [log in to unmask] (P.J. Kelly) Message-Id: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: How many PD sufferers? Cc: [log in to unmask] Dear Margot Enjoyed your piece on the NYC Parkinson's walk. As a neurosurgeon interested in the surgical treatment of Parkinson's disease I'd be happy to offer my support for future ventures of this type. It's unfortunate that the national organizations cannot be more helpful since in many ways they are the ultimate beneficiaries (probably more so than our poor patients). The media exposure in the most central city in the world of these events should be priceless. Keep up the good work-the Lord helps those who help themselves. PJ Kelly, MD Professor and Chairman Department of Neurosurgery NYU Medical Center ----- Begin Included Message ----- Date: Thu, 9 Mar 1995 21:21:10 -0500 From: Margot Zobel <[log in to unmask]> Subject: How many PD sufferers? Content-Length: 2816 >In her last posting, Ms. Zobel mentioned that three cities are >co-ordinating PD Unity Walks. Which cities? What's involved? >I'd love to hear more. I'm only too happy to talk about the Parkinson's Unity Walk, especially if there's the possibility of inspiring others to join us by coordinating walks in their own cities on October 15th. Currently we have New York and San Francisco, and (probably) Lincoln, Nebraska. Groups in one or two other cities also have the idea under consideration. Our first walk took place on October 16th of last year. How did it come about? Well, it seemed very strange to me that in New York City, where there are walks and events for every cause and every disease, there was no event to raise the public's awareness of PD. So it seemed like a good idea to me, and to others in my support group, to plan a walk. And as long as we were at it, why not try to involve the entire Parkinson's community by getting the endorsement of all the national organizations? Since I was fairly new to the world of Parkinson's activism, I knew little about all the efforts that had been made by people around the country to bring about a merger of the organizations, or about the bitter feelings that were the result of these failed efforts. I'm sure that my naivete stood me in good stead... you know, God protects fools and drunks (and I'm not a drunk). So I contacted the organizations, and pestered them a bit, and they all agreed to endorse our walk, to publicize it in their newsletters, and to help pay our expenses. It took a bit of work to make it happen. We had to get a permit from the city (not an easy task in NYC); to obtain liability insurance; to design, print and distribute literature; to get in touch with support groups; to solicit corporate backing; to contact the media, etc. etc. It all got done, and we considered the walk to be a big success. More than 200 people showed up, and we raised $16,000, which was distributed to the endorsing organizations. We made the CBS-TV evening news. It was an exhilarating experience, not just for the planners, but also for the walkers. For most of them, it was the first time they had ever come out in public to support a PD cause. This year The Parkinson's Institute in California will join the list of endorsing organizations. And the Parkinson's Unity Walk is in the process of incorporating as a non-profit group, which will make it much easier for us to collect and distribute funds. If groups in any other cities want to join the Parkinson's Unity Walk, we will be happy to share with them all that we've learned from last year's experience. Just drop me a line. If the push for unity won't come from the top (the leadership of the organizations), let it come from the bottom (that's us, folks!). Margot Zobel ----- End Included Message ----- \--------------------------------------------------------------\ \ Patrick Kelly, MD \ Internet: [log in to unmask] \ \ NYU Medical Center \ Phone: (212)-263-8002 \ \ New York, N Y \ \ \ \ \ \--------------------------------------------------------------\