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Statement of James T. Cordy=0Abefore=0AHouse Appropriations Subcommittee = for the Departments of=0ALabor, Health & Human Services, Education and Re= lated Agencies=0AFebruary 4, 1998=0A10:00am=0A=0AMr.. Chairman and member= s of the committee. My name is Jim Cordy. I have=0AParkinson=92s disease= . Formerly I was an engineer in R&D at a specialty steel=0Acompany. Par= kinson=92s forced me onto disability 3 years ago. Currently I am=0APresi= dent of the Pittsburgh chapter of the National Parkinson Foundation, a=0A= member of the National Parkinson Foundation Board of Directors, and the l= eader=0Aof the Parkinson=92s Alliance. I am also part of that magnificen= t grassroots=0Aeffort which saw enacted into law the Morris K. Udall Par= kinson=92s Research=0Aand Education Act. I=92m here today to give testimo= ny in support of fully=0Afunding this authorization at $100 million.=0A= =0AThis hourglass serves several functions: It will help me stay within m= y=0Aallotted time, but it also is intended to convey to you that we who h= ave=0AParkinson=92s are in a race against time Just as the top chamber is= depleted=0Arelentless grain after grain, so is my top chamber, my brain,= losing nerve=0Acells which control movement day by day. The Parkinson=92= s Alliance, is not=0Aanother organization, rather it=92s a loosely organ= ized overlay of the current=0Aorganizations - it is the voice of the peo= ple affected by Parkinson=92s. Those=0Apeople first want to thank this s= ubcommittee for allowing this bill to be part=0Aof the 1998 Appropriation= s bill. Obviously you appreciate the broad based=0Abipartisan support thi= s bill has. This was demonstrated by last years 95-3=0Aroll call vote in= the Senate amending it to the Appropriations Bill and the=0A254 cosponso= rs in the House. The overwhelming majority neuroscientists agree=0Awe are= poised on the threshold of curing this sinister disease. This=0Ahourgl= ass is an attention getter which I hope distinguishes my testimony at=0A= this busy hearing, the promise of a near term cure distinguishes Parkinso= n=92s -=0Aand that is not a gimmick- its doable NOW!!! As I speak, resea= rchers from all=0Aover the world are assembling at a meeting (in Arizona)= to discuss that=0Apromise. Let us=0Aprovide them with the resources to m= ake the promise a reality, find the cure,=0Aand then direct those resour= ces at other diseases. If we as a nation don=92t=0Afind a cure or new eff= ective treatment for these age related diseases, when=0Athe baby boom age= s its going to devastate any attempts we=92ve made to date to=0Abalance t= he budget.=0A=0AThere are two other economic points which favor increased= funding for=0AParkinson=92s disease research :Current NIH research fundi= ng as measured by=0Adollars per person afflicted is simply not equitable = Parkinson=92s is estimated=0Ato cost society $25 billion that every year.= If this $100 million investment=0Ain Parkinson=92s research results in a= cure, for every dollar spent we will save=0A$250 I=92m here today to hel= p give Parkinson=92s a human face. Parkinson=92s=0Adisease a degenerativ= e disease of the brain. As a result my hands and legs=0Asometimes shake = and my body is stiff. I have witnessed this disease slowly=0Abut surely = erode my physical abilities. I can no longer tie my tie, wash my=0Ahair o= r tuck my shirt in. I can=92t shuffle papers or drive my car. I have los= t=0Amy facial expression, sense of smell and I now have a monotone voice.= But I=92m=0Awouldn=92t be here today if that was the extent of my proble= ms. Unfortunately=0Athose are just previews of the horrors to come if we = don=92t cure this sinister=0Adisease. What terrifies me is the real possi= bility that I might end up as Mo=0AUdall bedridden unable to move or talk= .I sometimes think I do not serve the=0AParkinson=92s cause well when I c= ome to Washington for when my medications are=0Aworking I approach some f= orm of normalcy. Perhaps as I walk away from this=0Atable some may think= =93he dosen=92t look so bad to me=94. But those medications=0Awithout w= hich I would be unable to function lose their effectiveness with=0Atime. = The beginnings ofthat loss is just happening to me. I=92m falling behin= d=0Ain my race against time.The image I want to leave you with the image = of the=0Ahorror of Parkinson=92s. A woman from California wrote me to tel= l of the death=0Aof her mother, a former Olympic athlete who had Parkinso= n=92s. She described how=0Athis once athletic body had shriveled to 60 lb= s and had assumed a constant=0Afetal position for the last several years= . That=92s the image of Parkinson=92s I=0Awant to leave you. That and th= e promise of a cure. Let me assure you that I=92m=0Anot going to sit back= and wait for my body to stop working. I am determined=0Ato win this rac= e but I need your help. Before closing I will turn this=0Ahourglass over.= The top chamber is replenished. Just as the scientific=0Abreakthrough w= hich cures Parkinson=92s will replenish my brain cells which=0Acontrol mo= vement. DON=92T LET TIME RUN OUT for me and the 1 million Americans=0Awho= have Parkinson=92s. Not when the finish line is within sight=0A=0A