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Fellow Parkinson's Advocates: I am sending this in concert with another personal message to you from Jim Cordy. We are both proposing essentially the same plan of action, with a few differences. We are finally in a position to see the Udall bill become law. The efforts of many - Parkinsonians, caregivers, relatives and friends - brought us to this point. What is needed now is one last big push, from each of us, to make certain this opportunitiy does not, as others have before, slip away. BE A PEST! - By letter and phone, tell your reps that you want their support for the Udall Parkinson's Research bill. From now until March 24, write letters and telephone, get friends and relatives to sign letters and telephone, and generally make pests of yourselves with your representatives and senators. Call their local office, and 1-800-962-3524 in Washington, send letters to their Washington office, and tell them you are counting on their support. One approach - and it did work with Senator McCain, because his staff told us we were real pests, and they sat up and noticed - is to coordinate a massive letter-writing campaign with a massive call-in campaign. We are doing this with Kyl next week. Between now and March 21 we are writing, including multi-signature letters, to his DC office. On March 20 and 21, we will try to flood his switchboard with calls asking his position on the Udall bill. It makes an impression. MEET THEM - They go on recess March 21. Do all you can to arrange a meeting with them, between March 21 and April 4, while they are home. Tell them, pulling no punches, what the disease is doing to you. Look at them and ask "Will you help us, or will you let us and millions more suffer unnecessarily?" Wait until they answer. It is also useful to cite a few numbers: AIDS research gets $1,070 per patient per year versus less than $20 for Parkinson's; PD costs society some $40 billion a year; the average age at onse t is 57, meaning one-half of us were under 57 when diagnosed! It cannot be stressed enough that ALL of us, including - if not especially - Parkinsonians with severe symptoms, meet with our congressional representatives and/or their staff. INTRODUCTION - As you know, the Udall bill is scheduled to be introduced by Sen. McCain and Congressman Upton on April 9. They deserve a thank you note from each of us. GO TO DC WITH MUHAMMAD ALI - On April 23, Ali will be on Capital Hill to testifiy before the House Appropriations Committee (Rep. Skeen of N.M., who recently disclosed that he has PD, is a member). We will form a group of advocates to be in Washington that week, to contact all who have not agreed to co-sponsor. Ali's presence at the committee meeting will be enough to attract the media. We, too, will be there, and in numbers, prepared to tell them our story. IN CONCLUSION - This is the opportunity we have been working toward, our chance at last to secure the funding we need and, by all objective measurements, deserve. Each of you will have to decide how you want to participate. Will you push your legislators for a personal meeting, look them in the eye and ask "Will you help us?" Will you devote the hours it will take to write and call, and encourage others to do so as well? Are you willing to put together a phone blitz to tie-up a congressional line for a day or two? Are you tired enough of this hideous disease, and what it is doing to us, to resolve to do everything in your power to help Sens. McCain and Wellstone, and Reps. Upton and Waxman, guide the Udall bill through the perilous process of congressional approval? The scientists are ready. Our congressional leaders are ready. Are we?