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From: "Steve and Brenda Griffin" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Ivan versus NPF and first time mailer. Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 20:55:33 -0400 Hello, I am a grand-daughter of an 80 year-old women who has PD. My mother is her care provider and struggles everyday with the feelings she has for her mom that she knows now and the mother she knew before PD. It hurts my heart to see my grandma, who has always been a very independent women, now have to depend completely on someone else for a bearable life. And to see my mother who works five days a week, 12 hrs a day, then spends her evenings tending to her mothers needs rather than spending her "after her childrens college" years with her husband. She is exhausted and emotionally drained. And my father is getting resentful and jealous of the time she spends with grandma. I have spent the last two months since we (my mom and I) joined the PD List simply reading and learning as well as developing a few opinions. One of those opinions is concerning Ivans situation. I can not say I have ever been in Ivans shoes or anyone who has been involved at the Foundation end. However, I have tried to imagine what it would be like to be a man or women who travels such a long distance in hope for some help with a painful, debilitating disease such as PD. Having asked myself how I would feel if I were to have arrived, after spending much money, precious energy (especially for PDP's), and time arranging all this only to finally reach my destination and find that no one claims to remember anything about the appointment and even worse I would have to wait at least 2.5 hrs to "possibly" see a doctor. Coming to the conclusion that I would be very irrate not to mention discouraged for lack of help with the disease since I only have to travel 11 miles to my doctor and get very disturb when I have to reschedule an appointment with him, I can now understand Ivan's frustration. To have to struggle with this for 2 years as well as all the other stresses I can imagine are in his life I feel he has actually been somewhat mellow with his actions. Truly ask yourself if you had invested 30 percent of your income in any kind of task or fund and got nothing in return would you not try and recupirate that money for as long as you could or at least take action to get your money back? If Ivan would have known there was no appointment would he have went there in the first place? How many of us have been on business trips and stopped in to visit or made plans with relatives while we were there? I have, you'd be silly not to. Ivan, having worked for a State University for 6 years I know that some colleges or universities that have a law school will take on cases for the needy or those who can not afford usual legal fees. The upper level law students usually will represent these people with counsel from their instructors and other students. It gives them hands on experience and provides a more affordable alternative for people who would not be able to get other representation. You may want to look into this at some law schools in your area. Good Luck!! And pray about your perdicament. God cares what happens to you. Please keep giving me lots of info to read. I'm learning so much!! TTFN, Brenda Griffin ----------