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Barb, Mary Ann, Anne, Dennis: All of you are ABSOLUTELY right. Except for an occasional celebrity who comes out of the closet early in the PD progession, we're invisible! Further proof: Today's edition of PARADE magazine.(Sunday, February 9) Two-page story about exciting scientific developments during the second half of "The Decade of the Brain." Not ONE mention of Parkinson's Disease. Tell you what, gang. I'll volunteer to attempt this Oprah thing. I'll borrow a lot of Barb's moxy, throw in a little of my own, and see where it get us. Maybe nowhere. But you never know until you try. (By the way, at various times in my career I worked in advertising and public relations.) Here's my plan of action: 1. By noon (CST-USA) Wednesday, February 12, I need the names of anyone on this list who has PD and who could travel if asked to appear on a TV talk show. (I believe talk show production companies pay expenses.) I need a cross-section: Young Onset PWP's, people in their sixties and seventies who were diagnosed 20+ years ago, people who are considering having a pallidotomy, and ones who have had the various surgeries. Email to me: Your name, age, address, phone number, email address, years since diagnosis, and a brief statement about your current condition. Also, tell me if your Caregiver needs to travel with you. (NOTE: I especially need PWP's who are candidates for a pallidotomy or who have already had one with excellent and/or long-lasting results. Face it. Talk shows thrive on dramatic and emotional human interest stories.) 2. Thursday, February 13: I will write a letter to the person on Oprah's staff at Harpo Productions who schedules topics and quests. I will introduce myself as a PWP and a member of the Parkinson's Disease Information Exchange Network. To establish my credibility, I will enclose a copy of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE section from November 1996 with the story I wrote. In the letter, I will remind them of several famous PWP's, and offer to make available Parkinsonians from our "Invisible Minority". I'll also give them a current news "hook": the push to pass the Udall Bill after Congress' February recess. 3. Week of February 17: I will follow up my letter with a phone call. My major tactic will be to convince Harpo Productions that a show about PD would be a ratings bonanza. Approximately 1.5 million people in the U.S. have PD. Most of them have at least one Caregiver. That equals 3 million. Multiply that by an estimated number of immediate family members and close friends and you're talking about a potential audience of 30 to 60 million viewers who would have a real interest in this program. What do you think, gang? Is it worth a try? Anyone else have ideas? I'll proceed with the plan later this week if I receive enough responses from you. I don't want to contact Oprah's production company without knowing I can furnish them with names of potential guests who have interesting stories to tell. Thanks. Stan Houston (54/6) Cat Spring, Texas 78933 [log in to unmask]