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This "shell" may be tailored to get the word out to our congressmen. Barb Brock Udall Shell #8 If we can send a man to the moon, explore the heavens, end the Gulf War before millions of television viewers, put a zoo in the sky, and create an atom bomb, surely we can accomplish the goal of creating a healthier America. The worst that can happen is that we will reduce human suffering and the drain on our entitlement programs and create some kind of life for our children who will have none if they are forced to toil endlessly in trying to pay for our lack of foresight. I now want you to envision an America with the possibility of as many as ten million Parkinson's patients. Imagine their caregivers as they age. Imagine their trying to make ends meet and, at the same time, care for their loved ones. Imagine yourself or someone you love with it. Imagine what such a diagnosis would do to your world. Imagine what your world will be like with this degree of illness all around you, even if you are fortunate enough to escape it. Know that you and no one you know can possibly know that they are safe from it. Now, imagine that you, as one of the leaders of the greatest country on Earth, have the opportunity to help. Imagine that you can tangibly affect the future of this country and the world, that you can improve the quality of life for millions of Americans and bring about effective treatments, prevention, and, perhaps, even a cure for Parkinson's, which may well hold the key to the other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, ALS , and MS, to name just a few. Well, you can. YOU! YOU CAN! And you MUST! Here's how! Fully fund the Udall Act for Parkinson's Disease Research and Education to the approved level of $100 Million a year. It is currently "stuck" in Appropriations. (If you cannot see your way to do this, then what business do you have posing as a leader responsible for our welfare?) You must use all of your powers of persuasion and influence to accomplish this task. You have them. This is why we elected you! I must hear from you to learn what you are doing about the issue of our nation's defense against illness. Sincerely,