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Dear Ken Aidekman and friends, I just want to add that if my friend and caregiver, Jay Forys, had not seen me through the 7-month winter in Maine, never complaining, always worrying about me and helping me, I never could have achieved what I have done during this past year. He is staying, for the moment, with his large family in New Jersey, and deserves a huge amount of credit. He has posted a few messages on the Parkinson's List, and frequently read the list with me, and suggested things to me to help me be more effective. Some of you know his name from my posts to the list earlier this year. In Washington, he was there for me when I couldn't function. Many of you who attended the PAN Forum met him. He accompanied me when I met with Senator Collins' health legislative aide, Senator Snowe, Senator Reed of Rhode Island, and Representative Baldacci. He also met with Representative Allen here in Maine on April ll, and assisted me with every aspect of my work on Parkinson's. He even wrote an English paper while a student at the University of Southern Maine, on Ropinerole. His English professor gave him the only "A" in her entire class in College Writing! I just want to see that he, too, gets some of the accolades you are showering on me. He can be written c/o his dad, Thaddeus Forys, at 63 Washington Place, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 07073. He is staying in Carlstadt, NJ (spelling?) for the moment, near his brother and sister-in-law's house, and is working in Carlstadt. When I look back at the November, 1997 through June, 1998, and all that I did during that time, he was always there for me, along with his two children, Jenny and Nicky, on weekends and school vacations. It is almost impossible to imagine that I would have made it to the Forum without his help-whether it was pushing me in a wheelchair across airports, packing and unpacking bags, helping me to get from one place to another in the corridors of the Dirksen Building, letting me know what I missed (I was too sick to hear Senator Wellstone's dinner time address, but Jay was there), constantly checking on me, assisting me with many ordinary activities-like safe showering, buttoning buttons, carrying my packages, bookbag and suitcases, assisting me with heating pads and blankets when I had sudden, crashing, off-periods, and most of all, always keeping me laughing and smiling, when I was too exhausted to function. The list of what he did for me is endless. Caregivers are sometimes the unsung heroes and heroines of the PD world. I hope some of you who met him and had time to talk to him might write him to thank him for being the unsung hero that made my advocacy so much more effective. Yours, Ivan ^^^^^^WARM GREETINGS FROM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Ivan Suzman 48/12/9.5 [log in to unmask] Portland, Maine Land of lighthouses deg. F ******************************************************************** On Wed, 21 Oct 1998 06:57:45 -0400 ken aidekman <[log in to unmask]> writes: >Ivan, > >Thank you for your helpful hints on PD advocacy. If every individual >in >our grassroots effort utilizes even half of your suggestions we can >accomplish much greater results in Washington. I am impressed by the >positive attitude that you maintain and the empathy for the person on >the >other end of the line in the face of such a frustrating process. > >Thanks for all of your efforts on our behalf. > >-Ken Aidekman > >Visit the Parkinson's Unity Walk website: www.parkinsonwalk.org > >Fund the Research. Find the Cure. >