Thelma

Take a deep breath and at least acknowledge that a tremendous amount of public information has been provided to educate people (at least in the US) on how to prevent the spread of AIDS since 1985. Since reliable methods for testing and screening the blood supply were developed (at least in the US), the cases of transmission through blood donation or organ transplants or kidney dialysis have also been dramatically reduced in the past 10 or so years.

All I'm saying is that the rise in the number of new cases in the US cannot be due to lack of knowledge. The fact is this virus is largely preventable IF folks don't put themselves (and therefore unborn children) at risk.

People with Parkinson's were not given the choice to weigh their risks as they didn't even know they were at risk for this disease. That is the point!!! We don't have enough %$+))) information on what causes this disease or how to prevent it. Yet we know scads about what causes AIDs and people still put themselves at risk.

Get your high horse off my throat, please!!!

Jean - Curious and I are working to get it posted and when we do we will share the link. I must admit, though comments such as the ones from Thelma really discourage someone who has timidly stepped into a public advocacy role. My life is as a caregiver for my husband first and foremost. I voluteer with our local PD group because it has benefitted Kevin so much.

I am under enough pressure just getting through each day without barbs directed toward me because I spoke out to protect and defend my husband and our many Parkinson friends.

Gayle

i'll contact you for your help jean. if all else fails...i'll send the vhs to gayle.

i need to edit the file...it won't even email. *sigh*

I will try to make myself as clear as I can be which at times is a bit foggy I guess.

To make any remarks about another disease when fighting for one in particular is like saying mine is bigger than yours. It won't work to your advantage and will irritate hundreds who have other diseases that are in their way as serious and as debilitating as the one you are advocating for.

You need all of US that have CANCER to be on your side as well as those of US who have had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the family for two generations and have faced years of Aquirred Immune Deficiency Disease before it's enevitable ending of my grandsons life.

We all need to band together and not make comparisons of what initiated the diseases or what the prognosis is for it nor even what was the initial happening that brought it about.

They exist and that is cause enough to annialate them. sp

Although the knowledge of the underlying cause can and in all probability will help in the cure it is not what one person did or didn't do that we have to speak of.

We need to speak of the diseases......................... Parkinson's .....Alzheimers....Als.......Cancer.........

Rush spoke and the world listened and but will they act. The next election will tell if they have been listening but will it bring forth Stem Cell research is another matter.

I am going to say this and may get booted out of here for it but what the hay.

When you write to anyone and try to tell them about Parkinson's if you resort to your own personal situation and try telling the personal saga of the disease you are going to find they will soon tire of it.

Mike can do it because he is a star of movies and tv. People feel they know him and they will care for his story. They won't for yours or mine. Sounds harsh I know but that is the way it is and if you chose to fight for the cure then you have to accept the fact that it will not be easy and you don't have any new message to get across.

It has been said over and over again by so many and the world has stopped listening save to the news personalities and such.

We as the people have only the value of the masses on our sife. In the petition even when we gloated that over 20,000 had signed it wasn't enough and we were constantly saying the same thing over and over and over again esplaining and defending our action.

When I look back remarkably now it was to the same people again and again.

The ones out there who oppose the reserch are as an endless line that we will never ever get to think as we do. Not as I do but as we do.

Our cause in the cure is endless as well but if we are ever going to succeed it has to be as MJF is doing. Bringing people the face of Parkinsons but not with the look at me how I suffer and what I have to do to exist but with the face of this is me and this is the result of Parkinson's. A disease that can be helped with YOUR help.

You out there with Cancer and you out there with Als and YOU out there who at this time have nothing wrong with you,

WE want to help YOU and all that exist today or will come later if WE don't succeed.

Support Stem Cell Research and give it a run for the health of US all.


ps
Nothing I say is personal to anyone it is my opinion and as such sometimes worthy and sometimes useless. Just as long as it is heard is okay with me.

Thelma:
Thank you for not yelling!

Gayle

You made this statement quite clear to us all awhile back. We can't just blog for PD, we MUST change the research world to grow in leaps and bounds to change society until the day comes when "bad genes" and all disease causing factors can be eliminated or rendered under control for all time forward. I don't think that your viewpoint is fully apppreciated by all. Swords into medical research; finding cures to the ills of humankind, rather than finding new ways of mass murder (and the inaction to "cure diseases such as cancer, alz, PD 'etc, etc.' is indeed equivalent to mass murder).
Together we stand, and conquer disease; divided we simply fall to the ground one by one. AIDS has created yet another nightmare for humankind to deal with, along with the scores of other diseases that cut the throats of good people every minute. This is a PD board, but your wider view about the wide world of suffering should remind us that we are not the only horrendous disease in the world. Yes we deserve all we can get because we live on and instead of just dying, we linger on to negatively affect all around them. Other diseases aren't so relatively benign.

You're right about not mentioning Limbaugh "problem". It's much more powerful to let it be said in peoples own minds, than hear it from an angry PWP. Folks can smell hypocracy a mile away ... and Rush reeks.

MikeTTF

howdy!

was that nice enough to butter y'all up? i got the cd in the mail to gayle...she should have it by noon saturday. sorry for the delay. new computer with all the bells and whistles...i just have to find the time to learn how!