Exercise is great, but we NEED a cure for this disease. I see this disease affecting my friends every day.  We are progressing and only have some control over our destination.  We all are dealing with a different mixture of symptoms, but we all are struggling to move in everything we do.  My October blog got some interesting reactions.  People asked, “Why is Michelle writing that? Is she ok?

Yes, I am ok today.  For the most part, you all see me living a great life and moving pretty well throughout my days.  And, that is how most of my days are, and I do have an amazing life.  I have a family who stands by me for everything, friends that keep me laughing and busy, money to do what I need to stay healthy, and the motivation to work hard at this fight.

That is today, but what does my future look like?  I don’t go there often, and I keep my thoughts positive. But once in a while, “it” comes out to haunt me. I say, “what the ----? We need to find a cure for this disease.”  I don’t want anyone else in the world to get PD. The poem I wrote was depressing and sad, but very real for many of my PD friends.  Recently, I have had PWPs call me or stop in my office. They cry and tell me they are sick of dealing with this every day, every minute, every second. Even some that are working hard are still progressing.  One friend described it as “little bits of sand falling off the dunes, little by little, and chipping away slowly at the mass of land.”  I listen, and I feel their pain. I am living it with them. It is a reality check for me.  They are what I will be someday. I can’t get there. I can’t let my body stop.  I can’t let my mind stop.  I can’t.

Back to the PD Poem that I wrote.  It was prompted by my clients.  The ones that are struggling and crying and depressed.  Many of them are losing their balance and falling, which has become part of their daily worries. We had numerous people in classes fall in the past couple of months.  That is scary to see, very dangerous, and again another reality check for me.  That is me someday! I can’t let PD do this to my friends and me.

This is why we need The Cure.  We need it now! Not in 20 years.  We need it asap.  I still believe it will happen in my lifetime.  My husband, Karl, has seen my drive to make this happen.  He also has that drive to help me with a sense of urgency.  We both see the grim future if nothing is done.  We both will do anything we can to end this disease by making people’s lives miserable. 

I think we found a place where it can happen. With the help of a great team, we have stumbled upon a project at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  They have started a project that is different than any other research in the world, and the smartest scientists in the world are doing it.  I am not just saying this; seriously, they are the top research scientists ever, and they have the passion for bringing this to fruition.  I saw their labs with my own eyes. I talked to them; I asked them questions.  Our team, now called CureNow: PD has been charged to help fund this research. We believe this has the potential to change the world of Parkinson’s. To learn about these scientists, please see this link: https://vimeo.com/326821216

You can decide for yourself.

To make this happen, we need people, and we need money.  The more money, the more people they can have working on this, the quicker it will happen.  It is not a matter of “if” it will happen; it is a matter of “when” it will happen.  This is our chance to rally together and get the job done. I get so excited thinking about our lives without PD!  I can’t wait!

To donate or for more information on this initiative, please go to www.curenowpd.org.  To join the committee, please call 860-918-1726 or 860-908-9594.