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Dear friends: I feel I know most of you. I have been mainly a listener on our Parkinson's network. Not so with the rest of my life. I believe in blasting our way out of the Parkinson's closet and speaking out whenever and wherever we can. We must call attention to the nasty, gnawing predator that rides our shoulders. In 1991, I began writing a book; in 1991, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. In 1997, I finished the book; in 1997, I am not finished with Parkinson's--nor is Parkinson's finished with me. The book, a biography of statesman George Ball published by Yale, is dedicated to PWP and especially to our caregivers. The dedication page reads: "As I began to write this book in 1991, I received an unfriendly visit from an unpleasant aggressor known as Parkinson's disease. This debilitating, degenerative neurological disease attacks and eats away at the totality of a person. In scientific terms, Parkinson's disease results from the death of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra, an area of the brain that controls motor functions. My wife, Ann, son Tim, and daughter Rebecca moved to my side quickly, and we have stood together against the Parkinson's assailant. With the help of medication, physicians, and friends, we have held the invader at bay while I have researched and written this book. I salute the one and a half million Americans who struggle courageously and desperately with Parkinson's disease. I dedicate this book, however, to the caregivers, those dedicated people who have helped persons afflicted with Parkinson's disease cope and survive. The caregivers give the most; they help the most; and they, too, suffer greatly." In a book-signing tour across the country, I took every opportunity to discuss Parkinson's disease. I was appalled at the ignorance of the public concerning Parkinson's. I intend to continue to use my position as author to inform as many people as I can about the Parkinson's monster. And I am inspired by the Barbaras, the Charlies, the Kens, the Camillas, the Dons, the Joans, the Davids, the Stans, the Marjories, the Walters, the Sandrodents and all the rest of you... Let's continue to talk to one another, and let's talk to the world as well. James Bill. Williamsburg, VA.