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List-family... Sorry 'bout the typos and editing screw-ups in my long message regarding emailing the celebrity listed in the upcoming People Magazine yada yada yada, but I'm STILL having problems with my spell checker cutting out in the middle of doing a spell check of a new email -- and sending the darn thing out into Cyberspace half corrected and half not! Do I need to tell ya this is VERY frustrating to me, as well as embarrassing? <GRRRRRRRR...> Barb Mallut [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Barb_MSN <[log in to unmask]> To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 1:52 PM Subject: Re: People magazine >Joan, and All.... > >It's my feeling that when a celebrity comes forth claiming to have >been diagnosed with Parkinson's, that it would be better if that >individual was NOT immediately showered with "Welcome to the Club" >emails/messages from well-intentioned List members and other Parkies. > >Who knows how long it's been since they were diagnosed? Maybe >they're still dealing with some fear and residual denial, despite >their brave step in >"going public" with their sad news? > >How many of us, in attempting to share warm feelings of PD-kinship >and support with a fellow Parkie and end up actually end up writing >a LOOOOONG message sharing everything about their OWN Parkinson's >history? Do you REALLY want to do that to someone who has not yet >expressed a desire to connect with the online Parkinson's community? > >Can ANY of us in our wildest dreams even BEGIN to imagine the >TREMENDOUS volume of mail a top current celebrity receives on any >day? For instance, Oprah Winfry claims to average 15,000 messages a >month. > >Should we PD List Folks rush right now to email a welcome (Errrrr.... >provided ya ever finds that email address, Joan) <grinning> to this >celebrity - whomever they may be - I suspect the >List-member-originated messages will be caught in an avalanche of >sympathetic fan mail, which'll be rapidly sorted by a coupla mailroom >flunkies. Then the authors of those messages will receive a form >letter of thanks and a machine-autographed 8 by 10 glossy photo of >the celeb. > >I'd suggest our List-family make a collective effort NOT to >immediately bombard this as yet unknown celebrity with any "welcome >to the club," messages or the like for AT LEAST ONE MONTH. > >Let the public brouhaha arising from the initial news spreading out >amongst the Celebes fans run it's natural course. Let them get over >THEIR email/snail-mail deluge to the celeb, and THEN, and ONLY then >should anyone representing this List or PD, write to the celebrity, >BRIEFLY, and with compassion, letting the celeb know the List is >available for them. > >One last thing before I get off my soapbox: Remember - this is not >about YOU or ME having PD except as it relates to a common bond many >PWPs have for one another... It's about someone ELSE having >Parkinson's. > >We should not, in order to come across as a legitimate online >information and support group, all run 'round half-cocked sending >messages. FIRST think about the person who's just now making a very >public statement about having Parkinson's Disease, and all that THAT >implies. Restraint is called for on our part because the celebrity >is living THEIR Parkinson's experience, and we are each living ours. >They may NOT be ready to fight for the Udall Bill (and indeed, may >not even be from the USA) or to hear all about someone's pallidotomy, >just because WE are. > >Barb Mallut (preparing to duck 'n run when this message gets posted) >[log in to unmask] > > >-----Original Message----- >From: Stan or Joan Snyder <[log in to unmask]> >To: Multiple recipients of list PARKINSN ><[log in to unmask]> >Date: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 9:59 AM >Subject: People magazine > > >>Hello all: Isn't it a shame that we must share our disease with yet >>another gifted & talented young person? If we are correct in >assuming >>his identeity, maybe we could all e-mail him (after the article >comes >>out, naturally). I had his e-mail address a couple of months back >and >>e-mailed him, begging him that if it were true, to contact us for >>support & caring & understanding, not that I think I had anything to >do >>with any of this announcement! I will get his e-mail adress again >and we >>could write to tell him of our special place here and the links to >the >>other sites that we all find so comforting. May God bless him & us >all >>for the road ahead. >> >>-- >>--- >>Joan Snyder (47/10/8) <[log in to unmask]> Peoria,IL >>"Do or do not. There is no try." Yoda >>http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/snyder/page1.htm >> >