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Letters, similar to the the one that follows were sent to Senator McCain and Congressman Upton. No word from Brady's office yet. April 8, 1997 The Honorable Kevin Brady United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20510 Fax 202-225-4986 Subject: The Udall Parkinson's Bill Dear Representative Brady, Thank you so much for your support and concern for my situation and the Parkinson's disease community. Bob and I truly appreciated the time you and Janet devoted to us during our visit with you in Houston last week. I have suffered with PD for 22 years. My hopes for a cure have been raised and dashed on several occasions. Without adequate funding PD will dash the hopes of millions of Americans as the baby boomer generation approaches the age when PD typically strikes. Unless you experience it you can't know how awful this disease is. Day after day it takes away the very fiber of who you are, what you might be and what you might do for society your family and yourself. At the age of 52, I can no longer be counted on to perform even the basic duties of life for myself. Wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds combined with hundreds of dollars of medicine each month are what I count on for mobility. While my husband and family and our support group have been my heroes through these 22 years, their resources are exhausted. The Udall bill gives us all the hope that we need to combat this lousy disease one day at a time until a cure is found. Again, thank you for your time and I hope your support for this terrible disease which has been so neglected for so long. In 1817 James Parkinson wrote his paper describing the most prevalent symptoms of this disease. This work, 180 years later is still used today to describe the disease. Let 1997 be the year that we change all that. Let it be the year we raise the consciousness of all Americans about the devastation caused by PD and neurological disorders. Let this decade of the brain unravel the mysteries of neurological disorders and let our leaders in Washington pave the way for the cure. Do it for Mo, and do it for me. Thanks for listening. This letter was typed by my husband Bob. Original signed by: Nancy Martone address removed Kingwood TX. 77339 Phone 281-358-5168 Fax 281-358-5314 E-Mail [log in to unmask] -- [log in to unmask] Kingwood, TX