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Hi Folks and a warm welcome to the Parkinson List to Michael J. Fox, With all the talk about funding I've been encouraged to dig this out of the archives, dust it off and re-post it......... My response to a call from Gail Vass in June of '98 for non US parkies to add their voices..... ************************************************************ Subject: Re: Calling all foreigners! Date: 06/08/98 12:35 PM Author: Gail Vass Topics: Congress, Carbon Monoxide, Parkinson's Disease, Hi Gail; You're fulla bright ideas................. > > ANYONE outside of the United States who wants to write a letter > > to the US Congress to plead for/ express support for/ contribute your voice > > to the call to fund the Udall Law..... ....email me your message and I'll > > co-sign it and add my Fairfax, Virginia address and send it on to MY > > representatives with my zip code telling them that the 'WORLD IS WATCHING > > YOU'...talking about adding peer pressure...they love to be talked about > > around the world and I think you voice WILL BE HEARD. Don't hesitate...DO IT > > NOW...I'll 'hep ya'.... Gail Vass ........who knows the cure must happen > > now! Gail, I've read all the shell letters both on the List & on The new Parkinson Alliance site but somehow this whole thing is a struggle. I don't feel that I can just sign a shell....nope, wouldn't fit. I 'bin scribblin'. Is this of any value??? A Tale of One "Lucky" Canadian. I'm a lucky Canadian. I spent the first 49 years of my being in the good life aboard the SS Abundant Health, as did most Canadians and most Americans. In 1994 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and that day my metaphorical ship began to founder. Now I'm treading water with 100,000 other Canadians and with 1,500,000 neighbor Americans, all Parkinsonian victims of the sunken SS Abundant Health. They tell us we're still lucky. Other ships in the Health fleet are also going under every day. The people with Cancer don't swim well and the people with Aids not only don't swim but are in shark infested waters. The drug companies have flown over and dropped a variety of Life Rings for all of us to cling to while we impatiently await a rescue. The newest Tasmar, Requip, and Mirapex rings are nice but they don't fit everyone and the reality is that they only prolong the inevitable. We don't feel particularly lucky. Then last year we heard about a strong majority in the US Congress authorizing the Morris K. Udall Bill with a potential CURE for Parkinson's in the next 5 years. Maybe we are a little luckier than we thought. We were so buoyed up treading water became that much easier. (In our minds we could picture the mighty Missourri pulling alongside, decks lined with gleaming life boats all labelled UDALL and all designated for we Parkinsonians. Though I'm a Canadian, I held great hopes we would surely not be left alone.) Now months later our dreams are fading. The boats have not been launched. Apparently the "system" dictates Udall boats may only be appropriated through yet another "process". The appropriations group may eventually launch all the authorized boats, or a few token boats, or no boats at all!! They may decide to repaint the Udall boats for some other group or simply save them for another time!! We no longer feel the least bit lucky. The Missourri is gone now, the sun has set, and the chill of stark reality is upon us as we appear abandoned in darkness to drift alone. We will tire, we will fall victim to depression, we will experience our life rings water logging, we will succomb before our time. Gone are thoughts of awakening to dry land (a CURE) and grandchildren and jobs or retirement or .... The Appropriations committee has our futures in the palms of their hands. I pray the American Congress will hear the cries of 1,500,000 loyal Americans and one lucky Canadian. I pray they will see fit to launch every last Udall boat, all 100,000,000! I pray the US Congress will once again set an example unparallelled by the rest of the world. Please fund the Udall Bill in the full amount for the next 5 years. Murray Charters Vancouver, B.C. [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Murray you ask.... "Is this of any value???" Murray it was by people like you and me that got this law passed at all! There are so few of us affected by this disease that if EVERYONE of us doesn't speak up and SCREAM ....COUNT ME ! our voices will not be heard at all! I'm copying your letter off and taking it to Washington... ...which for me is 10 miles down the road! Your cyber sister, Gail Vass **************************************************************** [log in to unmask]