[johnt]

What sort of community are we?

In the "real" world, if I miss two meetings of my support group, someone is on the phone wanting to know what's up.

In the on-line world, even people who have made hundreds of posts often just seem to disappear.

Is this what we want?

I'm not expecting this to happen any time soon, but I've asked my wife to post to the forum if anything makes it impossible for me to do so.

John

[Jomar]

Also any family member or close friend can use the Contact Us link at the bottom of every page.

It works very well when you don't want to share your log in/account info.

[Tupelo3]

Originally Posted by johnt

What sort of community are we?

The question has been asked recently about what type of community we are. Well, I think after reading all of your moving and emotional comments about the loss Rick, I know. We're a community of people from all walks of life and different parts of the world. Like any family, we occasionally disagree, bicker and fight. Yet, in the end, we all suffer from the same illness and share many of the same goals. We all want to be able to enjoy our lives, our family and our friends as much as possible given the variety of nasty symptoms we endure; I believe we all desire to help others with PD, particularly the newly diagnosed; we all desire to move the science of PD forward; and we are all searching and striving to find a cure. I personally feel honored to be able to interact and learn from others on this site and appreciate everyone's participation and hope we can continue to bring on more active members with new and original thoughts.

[Aunt Bean]

I feel the loss of Rick so deeply and it has made me want to reach out to others even more. If you are a person with PD, don't shut yourself off from the world...you need people more than ever and sharing with others with PD is so valuable...both for moral support and informationm that may make your journey more pleasant. Get hooked into a local support group or at least have a friend with PD that will buddy with you and watch for signs or symptoms that you don't even notice....changes of ability, behavior, memory....don't be afraid to ask for help and reach out to others. Remember, you may be the one needed in the support group or friendship that is the stronger person need for the encouragement of the rest.....be there for others...remember Rick always.