Thx, Bob for reporting this advocacy history that Greg Wasson so eloquently wrote just following the 2010 World Parkinson Congress (WPC) held in Glasgow. I wanted to mention a couple of people and situations that might be of interest to add to those mentioned.

First, I believe we need to tell you that People Living With Parkinson's (PLWP) was one of the first online " support groups" - and although I am a charter member, the co- founders were Nan Abraham from New York and Bren Tucker from Tennessee (ahem! My favorite state!). They were some of the first patient groups to encourage face-to-face meetings and did so at a Unity Walk way back ( 1998?). PLWP co-founders were also awarded the Bonander Humanitarian Award at the Unity Walk in 2002 and 2003), which is given for grassroots efforts in bringing PWP together. ( visit this link for additional info - http://www.unitywalk.org/about.php )

AnnT - one way of obtaining funding to attend such conferences is through your local support groups, who budget money for such travel. Another way is to get out there and request industry or business sponsorship. For example, a local newspaper may sponsor you in exchange for your story, often enjoyed by your
community readers.

As far as failures or at the very least "hesitancy" to open all presentations to everyone, including patients being allowed to be present at scientific presentations of research sessions, sometimes it is best to handle confrontational meetings in private. For example, should you disagree with something a presenter says, rather than making a scene during the presentation, you could wait until the presentation is completed then nudge your way to the front and discuss it privately. However, if you feel that you are well-informed about a topi being discussed, by all means wait for the Q&A period and make your comments.

Hope to see/meet many of you in Montreal!
Peggy aka The Peacemaker lol