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Here is Janet Paterson's announcement, with minor but necessary corrections, followed by the original Tutu Prayer. Please feel free to use as needed.------------------------------------------------------------------ --- > >Tutu Offers Prayer for Parkinson's Disease Awareness > > Friday, April 9, 1999 South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu has written a Prayer,dated April 7, 1999, which follows immediately below this news announcement, for >all those suffering from Parkinson's Disease (PD), to mark World >Parkinson's Awareness Month in April, and World Parkinson's Day on >April 11. > >April 11th is the birthday of James Parkinson, the English physician, >who >in 1817 was the first to describe the symptoms of PD. > >Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace Laureate, Robert W. >Woodruff >Visiting Professor of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, >Georgia, >offered his support following communications with Ivan Suzman, an American now living in Portland, Maine , who was a >resident of South Africa from 1973-1979. > >Suzman, 49, was diagnosed with 'Young Onset' Parkinson's Disease >(YOPD) >over ten years ago. > >A former anti-apartheid activist, he is no longer able to work full >time in >his chosen profession, anthropology, but has been able to transfer >his >now-limited energies into activism towards promoting awareness of >Parkinson's Disease, primarily through his membership in the >Parkinson >Information Exchange Network (PIEN), an internet discussion list. > >Since the PIEN, established in 1993 by another YOPD, Barbara >Patterson, of >Hamilton, Ontario, currently boasts over 1800 members in 36 countries >worldwide, Tutu's office concluded that the on-line support group >would be >the best means of issuing and distributing his prayer for >Parkinson's. > >Parkinson's Disease is a chronic, progressive movement disorder caused >by >the gradual 'dying off' of brain cells in an area known as the >substantia >nigra. > >When plentiful, these cells produce a neurotransmitter, dopamine, >which is >critical to normal movement. > >The shortage of dopamine manifests as one or more of the classic >symptoms >of PD - tremor, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, and balance >difficulties. > >To date, there is no known prevention or cure for PD; current >pharmacological and surgical treatments can only minimize PD's >symptoms. > >Although PD is generally considered a disease of adults, an estimated >15% >of PD patients are diagnosed before age 50, while in some countries, >PD >strikes up to 10% of all people over the age of 60. > >Pope John Paul II, Muhammad Ali, U.S. Attorney-General Janet Reno, >Gandhi >photographer Margaret Bourke-White, evangelist Billy Graham, and >actor >Michael J. Fox are all sufferers of Parkinson's Disease. > >Archbishop Tutu's prayer for Parkinson's will be issued by the end of >this >week through these same channels. > >This announcement is provided by members of the Parkinson Information >Exchange Network. > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > >janet paterson - 52 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada >[log in to unmask] > >Scan some of My Past Posts at: > http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm >Mine the PD List Archives at: > http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/ >Cull Nine Million Pub-Med Medical Studies at: > http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/ >Comb the 'People With Parkinson's' Web-Ring at: > http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=parkie;list ^^^^^^ WARM GREETINGS FROM ^^^^^^^^^^^^ :-) Ivan Suzman 49/39/36 [log in to unmask] :-) Portland, Maine land of lighthouses 63 deg. F :-) ********************************************************************