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Dear friends I for one - am grateful to Barb and Ivan and I happen to need their continued pposts because they help me.So I hope they haven't been discouraged. I wish I could be as strong andd giving as they are. I appreciate their ongoing encouragement to all of us, whether it's funny or emotional, to keep up the good fight. I'm a young-onsett Parkie When first diagnosed at 36 almost ten years ago, I was a single parent (# kids with no family or goverenment assistacne, we were verypoor and I worked very hard to raise mym 3 kids right. my first and greatest concern was the absolute fear and sense of loss of knowing I will probably end up being a burden to my children. After having struggled alll those years trying to move barriers out of their way trying to give them a chance to be make their way in this tough world, it was cruel for me, or rather the need to care for me in the late sttages of PD, to end up being the greatest weight they'll have to bear. I want them to live their own lives, not having to worry for me. Within the first month, I joined the Hemlock Society -- a group that supports assisted suicide. Many of the young- onset Persons with PD that I know have thought of suicide and so have many of my mature-onset PD friends have too. And the reasons that the thrrerat is a reality has been made too evident to mee - I've seen friends whose PD progresson suddenly took the bad turn - none of them believing it was finally hitting them sso hard, that this time no medicine or surgery coulld help. they weren't going to pull out of that "off" state.But it happened, and the trap door finally locked for good, and they have been trapped in the real prison that is PD at it's worse. We don't talk about it, but I've seen and heard too often how my Parkinsonian riends' family expressed their wishes that teir loved one would be freed by death, and I've heard dear parkies trapped in their own bodies asking with whispering voice for relef by death. For two of my riends, death finally cammem. Two others are still cruelly trapped in living death. Whether people actually kill themselves or wish the could - we are too close to the prison that can eventually make us wish for it. Please. We need each other's strength to fight it. Let's stick together. Like it o not, we're in it together . Love you all. Thanks for sharing and for letting me do the same Keep it up Barb & Ivan. . Maryhelen