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Did you believe in a cause so strongly that you were willing to ride a bicycle for month after month, hike over mountains and kayak down raging rapids to bring about change? Did you take half a year away from your family, friends and career to make a difference? Eight young men and women are doing just this right now. They are the core of the Parkinson’s Power Across America trek. I met them last week and they are terrific. They’re more than any of us could want to represent the Parkinson’s community: well spoken, attractive, bright, physically fit and totally committed. Let me give you a "for instance". I asked mayors of cities in New Jersey along the PPAA route to greet the athletes as they rode across the state. Two mayors made up commendations for the six athletes whose names I had submitted: Matt Drayton, Jamie Purdy, Ed Lanigan, Becky Howland, Doug Shrack and Andrea Zeger. When plaques were presented to the athletes they insisted that the brothers who drive their two support vehicles, Matt & Eric Folia, be present for all photos and receive the same recognition as themselves. These eight individuals are an undivided team that shares in all the work and responsibility of their mission. On the Friday, May 21st, they woke up at 4:00AM to go on the Today Show and waited outside until *:30AM. This was after a night of very little sleep due to a party held in their honor on the Hudson River in New York City. Even after a late start they crossed most of the state of New Jersey in less time than I could imagine. They were totally upbeat and uttered not a word of complaint. So what can you do to help? Check out the Parkinson’s Power Across America website: www.parkinsonspower.org to find out more about the trip. Find out when the PPAA athletes will be in a town near you by calling Patricia Arroyo at PDF’s toll-free line: 800-457-6676 or fax her a message at 212-923-4778. Bring a sign and wave encouragement along the route. They are in eastern Pennsylvania today, May 23rd. They’ll be crossing the rest of Pennsylvania, northern Ohio and Indiana on their way to a major event in Chicago on June 6th. Hold a breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea along the way to meet them as they pass through your neck of the woods. They may not be able to bike to you but if you have a gathering they take a few minutes out of their hectic schedule and drive their support vehicles closer to you and say hello. Provide a bed, or even a comfortable floor, on which the PPAA athletes can sleep. Showers and home made meals are also high on their list of luxury items over the next four months. Send a message to your local paper or radio station mentioning that the PPAA is coming through town. (The PDF has prepared press release forms for this purpose.) Complete an "Overcoming The Obstacles" survey form describing an PD obstacle that you have overcome and how you did it. The PPAA athletes will collect these forms from individuals all over the country. They will be combined to form a large volume called "How To Cope with PD". Send an e-mail of encouragement to them. The address is [log in to unmask] Tell them how proud you are of their effort. Give your regards to Saluda, their golden retriever puppy mascot. Tell your friends, relatives and complete strangers about what a great thing these young men and women are doing for the Parkinson’s community. Of course you could always send a contribution in honor of their incredible effort and dedication. Certainly, you in the PD community have been asked far too often to carry the burden of financing promising research. With famous figures like Muhammad Ali, Billy Graham, Michael J. Fox and Pope John Paul we are building awareness like never before. Let’s begin to ask the greater community to contribute to our worthy cause. Let’s give these inspiring young men and women the recognition they deserve. It will be nice for them to receive recognition but nicer still for all of us to shorten the years that we have to wait until a cure is found for this Godawful disease. -Ken Aidekman