At 09:41 AM 7/1/98 , you wrote:
>Shortly after someone mention it here I saw my first TV ad
>about Parkinson's - I don't know if the name is correct, but
>I think they called themselves "The Houston Parkinson
>Coalition."
>
>If one of you good folks from the far north (Houston is
>north of where I live) would share information about the TV
>spot, we'd sure appreciate it. This effort needs to be done
>on every TV station in the country.
>
>This, more than anything else we could do, will bring people
>face to face with Parkinson's. The spot was excellent - a
>man sitting on his bed, trying to tie his shoe, hands
>shaking, talking about Parkinson's.
Jerry,
The television spot that you mention was produced right there in Houston by
the two major PD support groups that exist there (hence "coalition"). It
was produced as a result of a gala held in Houston featuring Ali, it was
shown at the recent PAN Forum, and (I understand) it is available to every
Parkinson's support group who will pay for the agency who created it
(McCann Erickson) to adapt it to their local area. This means a change in
the wording that appears on the screen and a change in the "voiceover."
We plan to have such a tape created in Dallas soon. It will also include
the second PSA that was made at the same time, a blues singer who can no
longer play his instrument ("I used to play the bluest blues") because of
Parkinson's. Both feature what we consider to be minority actors (a black
and an Hispanic) both because the Houstonians feel that PD is
underdiagnosed among the minorities and because Ali wanted it that way.
Strangely, I found both this list and DAPS (Dallas Area Parkinsonism
Society) at the same time, and I have been active in both. I find that
they complement one another. These PSA's (public service announcements)
will hopefully enhance the support group area, as well as lending
understanding and visibility to PD in general.
For more information, I suggest that you e-mail Anne Martin at
[log in to unmask]
Art
(BTW, Lewisville is "Far North Dallas.)
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Arthur Hirsch {} [log in to unmask] {} Lewisville, TX {} 972-434-2377
(nickname on instant mail, ICQ, and chat programs is cutterson)
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Always Remember This: Happiness Is Right, So Choose Happiness
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