Rick's ability to research broad and deep and make it all make sense was a gift to all of us. When I was first trying to find answers to the puzzle of PD, his writing helped me see another way through the murk. Although I never met him, I feel like I have lost someone important in my life and in the lives of those who question the experts' positions on PD. He didn't just rant, he supported his own theories with information that he put together in creative ways.

He was a true citizen scientist -- the chief White Rat. I will miss his voice on this forum. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family (which includes all those who were connected to him in so many ways.)

Katherine

I will remember Rick for his many posts in his tireless fight against this insidious disease, Parkinson's. I felt he never gave up in searching for ways to help beat this thing and for his contributions to this forum. And, like Bluedahlia, I to am frustrated with the scientific community for not coming up with anything better than Sinemet or, maybe, DBS.
Goodbye Rick, I will miss you.
John

I was not aware that Rick was having problems with hallucinations. Probably because of his lucid posts, I thought he was ok in that respect. Over the past 6 -12 months, my wife's hallucinations have gotten much worse to the point where she will need more care than we can give her. Parkinson's is bad enough but when hallucinations/psychosis enter. They rob the individual and their family of what's left of their life.

My deepest condolences to his family & friends, Rick will surely be missed by many.

Dear Rick,

I think you may be reading this. News of your passing came after a morning of meditating on hope for the future whilst picking pie cherries this morning. If I had only one word to sum up the gift you gave me it would be hope and the knowledge that healing comes in many different forms.

Your writing reflected not a long downhill slide but a LOT of rebounding. To be honest I'm a bit mad at you. I know you spoke of a time when you would consider taking your own life to spare loved ones any great burden so i feel that for you to do this your intent was for the welfare of others...but your presence is a gift to me..and I don't want to say goodbye. Your wit, humor and passion was such a breath of fresh air and buoyed by your enthusiasm I will miss your thoughtful and caring contributions.

May your journey be gentle most of all may you find the deep and abiding peace that true unconditional love bestows. I hope you can now truly dance. Namaste dear friend and be blessed. moondaughter

I'll miss you Rick! You have helped me and others more than you could possibly know with your grit, intellectual curiosity, knowledge and humor. This video he made to show how music affected his ability to move was posted on youtube a while back, a poignant example of how he was always searching and sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxDmP8c4QUI

Tears Watered My Garden Today....I have never before developed a love for someone that I had never met....until reverett. By way of the forum, he made me smile, laugh, cry and work even harder to discover anything that would help PD symptoms and thus help us live more "normal" lives. Rick was very special. A fellow "white rat" who was not afraid to explore unknown territory and chart them for others to follow. We have all lost a very dear friend and I still look forward to meeting him someday..dancing! We love you Rick.

We all want what Rick wanted - better treatment. . . A cure
A mission is to follow this event, now more than ever.
I cried like a baby and I never personally met him. We thought differently at times, but we were seeking the same prize.
Come here when you don't know where to turn.
We. care.

Peggy

Death is inevitable and though we know it happens to all of us the shock never diminishes when someone who has influenced our life passes over. May Rick enjoy his heavenly home and, if possible, come to a greater understanding of why we are made to suffer here. My deepest condolences to his family who should know that many people enjoyed and benefited from his efforts to relieve our suffering. I will miss his entertaining and informative posts.

I haven't been a member of this board long enough to have known Rick very well. Nevertheless, this news was tragic and very upsetting. Although I can't say I always agreed with all of his opinions, I can honestly say Rick is the only member for which I have actually gone back and read many of his previous posts. I always found them to be insightful, intelligent and laced with a wonderful sense of humor. For example, this comment when discussing the placebo efftect:

...and furthermore...
________________________________________
"Are we really accomplishing what we claim we want by trying to eliminate this effect. After all, it will eventually have to be out in the real world where ocebos of all sorts run wild. And remember that PWP exhibit this effect at twice the going rate, Maybe we should do something rational like maxxing out this mysterious force that is us by looking at things like shamanism and hypnosis.
Rick

PS When I was little I had warts on my hands. My Granny was, for want of a better word, a shaman, having been born into a remnant culture in 1904. She made a big fuss and a little bit of ritual. She was dealing with a five year old and was having fun, but her patient saw her as she was - a great power that could shake the universe (or at least my little corner). Two days later those warts were gone and never returned. If we had someone or something that did away with PD, would any of us quibble about how silly it was? Don't tamper with another man's belief without damn good reason. It is not clever but rather cruel."


I would like to offer my sincere condolences to Rick's wife, family and friends. He clearly will be missed by many people.

Rick Everett, “citizen-scientist” fighting Parkinson Disease, dead at 61.

People With Parkinson’s across the U.S.A., and also in Canada, the U.K., and France, are mourning the sudden death of Rick Everett, a citizen-scientist who relentlessly pursued alternative approaches in the fight against Parkinson Disease.

As a self-described “canary in the coal mine”, he was entirely self-taught, a DIY scientist (“Do It Yourself”); he maintained that scientific discovery starts with the words: “That’s odd…”

He wrote: “... the view of Parkinson’s Disease held by much of the medical and research communities is seriously askew and is in need of drastic revision… Parkinson’s specialists and researchers need to look beyond their natural “turf” – the dopamine-producing nigrostriatal system – to examine other areas of the brain and body…”

“…I know that many of my ideas run counter to the prevailing mindset that says PD is about dead neurons. My argument is that it is an autotoxic immune response arising from fetal immune challenge paired with a dysfunction of the endocrine "fight or flight" response. These two systems, in turn, produce cytokines and hormones which damage the nervous system..."

His writing was powerful. His research, original. His people skills, legendary.

On the Neurotalk Parkinson’s Forum alone, he posted 3,772 times. People With Parkinson’s would get up early to see what he had written overnight.
Just as an example, here is one of the thousands of his wide-ranging Parkinson conversations:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread185599.html

One of his many supporters posted this on another internet forum: “He was a Great Spirit. You are lucky, in a lifetime, to meet one or two such spirits. He believed in the Laws of Nature. He believed in the Laws of Life. He was gentle, humorous, and humanitarian. He was a free-thinker devoted to solid science. It is unfortunate that he did not get enough support. He made shoes for everyone. While he went barefoot.”

In addition to posting on Neurotalk and at least 3 other sites, he published his own website, A Matter of Balance.

http://amatterofbalance.wordpress.com

He wrote… “Little has changed. Funding still comes from corporations intent on maximizing profits. Research is still directed by academics interested in preserving the status quo which underpins their careers. Clinicians are still limited to a handful of chemicals which offer short term symptom relief and long term failure. And patients see their lives dribble away with no sense of urgency evident on the part of the other participants in this absurd tragedy…”

“… Although little change has crept into the boardroom, the ivory tower, or the clinic, huge changes have accumulated in what we know. In the twenty years since I first noticed a tremor in my right hand, it has been learned that the brain is far from the rigid and unchanging organ it was thought to be and that healing is possible. It has been learned that, far from being confined to the central nervous system, PD affects multiple targets some of which are far from the territory of neurology. It has been learned that symptoms may appear decades earlier than once thought…”

“… So much has been learned, and, yet, treatment has changed little in over forty years. I make no apology when I say that this is inexcusable. A sense of urgency must be cultivated in order to meet this crisis. And it is a crisis. The Boomers are entering the age when they will meet this foe and the expense of treating them rather than curing them will be overwhelming. The forces of economics will prevail where those of humanitarianism failed…”

Rick Everett had Parkinson's and he always knew what he was talking about.