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Dear new friends of the Listserv: I would like to add a few comments to the issues being discussed around all of the various PD organizations and their purpose and how we all work together in the community. #1 - in the past 2 days Mary Yost (too long etc.) and Margaret Tuchman have given superb outlines of the organizations and addressed these issues better than I could do but I do want to add several comments. #2 The founders of the Parkinson Alliance took several months before deciding what to do as our next big challenge after the Udall Bill. We too were concerned with all of the PD organizations and decided to try and see how we might all be able to work together. We actually put regional teams together and visited with the senior management of all the major organizations. I was the one person that was on every trip--therefore we made sure we had consistency--the agenda was the same for each meeting. #3 - After all the meetings, questions, research, discussions we came to the following conclusions: A. Everyone wants to cure PD B. Each organization does certain things and does them very well C. There needs to be more awareness and money spent on PD research D. Competition among scientists and researchers is not bad--it can be a very good thing E. All major organizations DO WORK together on various issues, I.e. the Unity Walk in New York, all were represented at recent meetings with Dr. Varmus--therefore, understand that when we need to present a unified face on Capital Hill that we have made great strides in that arena. F. The Parkinson Alliance decided research was the one best way to focus on assuring we get our share of the $2 billion increase that NIH received last year. We want to make sure we get the best overall research and using NPF's Peer review process is an excellent way to accomplish this objective. Please note that all major PD organizations are raising money for seed grants--APDA, NPF and PDF. G. Items such as the NPF Affinity Credit Card--The Parkinson Alliance goal is to be able to self-fund and say that 100% of all the money we raise goes to research. However, VOLUNTEERS need a budget to travel and educate people about these programs. This credit card will help us accomplish that objective--This is a good thing H. As Dale Severance so nicely put--the major organizations will never merge--and I honestly don't believe they should. Let us now concentrate and put all this energy into how we get rid of this disease. We need to be SOLUTION oriented--NOT problem oriented. As Margaret Tuchman puts so eloquently--if everyone--the key word being EVERYONE--just did a small part--keep change for a month--ask a friend--etc we all could be talking about how we helped find the cure and how all of this work contributed to the early finding of the cure. I work with people like Dale Severance, Margaret Tuchman, Jim Cordy, Peter Morabito and others who never have an excuse for not putting in 24 hours a day. And they accomplish real goals--we can all learn from them. Mary Yost told me I am not following etiquette--I am supposed to tell you that I do not have PD--my Dad has PD for 12 years--died 6 years ago and when he died he was just like Mo Udall--in a convalescent home unable to walk, speak, move or eat--this is why I work to cure this disease. I ask you to please figure out what is best for you and what part--even small--you will play in helping us find a cure--we believe raising money for research is about the best way to do it--all the dollars really add up. Sincerely, carol walton