Sailing with us this year␣Special Guest Speaker
JOHN BAUMANN
John has been nominated as a Parkinson’s Superstar by Dr. Irene Litvan␣.let␣s look at some of what the doctor has to say␣plus some additional comments␣.
␣My Parkinson’s Superstar has to be John Baumann, one of my favorite patients. Diagnosed in 2002 at the age of 41, John worked 6 more years as an executive officer of a major corporation before dedicating his life, on a full-time basis, to making a difference in the Parkinson’s community. John has inspired those with Parkinson’s to live their lives to the fullest, family care partners to realize what a difference they make and how much they are appreciated, and professional healthcare providers to maintain their passion and commitment to the cause. John has traveled far and wide as keynote speaker at symposiums to bring his message of hope and positive perspective (Reclaiming Posi-spective) including, among other locations, Cincinnati at the Sunflower Revolution, Indianapolis before a Pacers game, Houston, Birmingham, Saskatchewan in Canada, St. Thomas of the Virgin Islands and even his hometown of Louisville. John has also written a book providing a template for others to live life to the fullest with Parkinson’s Disease, Decide Success (Twelve Action Steps) – ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ (available at Amazon.com).
John has contributed to two other books (␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ and Courageous Stories of Inspiration), is a graduate of the PDF clinical trial advocate institute and is on the faculty of the University of Louisville. John is also Chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation Board in Kentucky and has cherished being care partner to his daughter (who has flourished despite being born with life threatening birth defects and cerebral palsy).␣ Irene Litvan, M.D.,Tasch Endowed Professor in Parkinson Disease Research Director of the Movement Disorders Program,UC San Diego, Department of Neurosciences
Here is what others have said about John Baumann:
Kathleen Crist, Executive Director, Houston Area ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ Society: John: How do I thank you – let me count the ways …. you came, you thrilled, you brought people to tears, you brought people to laughter, but, most importantly, you inspired. Thank you. John Y. Brown Jr., 55th Governor of Kentucky, former Owner of the Boston Celtics and successful ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣John Baumann has used his life as an example and inspiration for others to follow. Decide Success offers wisdom and confidence on how to make the most out of your life and find happiness and fulfillment every step of the way.” Amy McNeil, SARC Executive Director␣␣␣Your personal stories of growth and optimism struck a deep cord with those in attendance. If motivation was your only goal, you succeeded. However, if you were striving to inspire deep belly ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣y in Hollywood, you nailed it! Your engaging presentation left all conference-goers thinking about how to embrace and savor ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ a motivated speaker. I will think of him and his life challenges when I am feeling down myself. I know I will not feel that ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ the presentation to end. ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ Shahin Shoostari, PhD, Fellow Conference Speaker: “I am just writing to tell you your talk has changed me, …I came out of your talk a much stronger person…a much stronger caregiver….you are a great speaker John….with your positive attitude, and the great ability which you have to express your feelings, your opinions, and telling people your life story and your daughter, Katie’s story, you could CHANGE lives…. I don’t know how to express myself about the impact of your story on me John…..I was listening, I remember I cried, I laughed, I felt sad, and then happy….but at the end BEING STRONG, a much stronger person….as you were taking I was reflecting on my own life, on my own challenges….I found myself coming out of that session being a much stronger person….I am writing John, just to thank you for sharing your own story, and telling us how important it is to keep the positive attitude, but also take the time to rest and enjoy our lives and what we have. Your talk was fascinating, inspiring, relevant, practical…I was able to relate to what you were saying, even without having your challenges… I believe your talk would be good for everyone of us, for everybody regardless of the kinds of the problems and issues which we have……Being positive, being strong, enjoying life, helping others… I hope you continue telling people all about your life, and what has helped you to become who you are today……… Pamela Kell, ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ Creative Collective: ␣In his boo␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣ has written a terrific guide to living deliberately. Intended to inspire people with Parkinson Disease to move forward and forego the temptation to think their life is over, through humor, personal experience and touching revelation he presents a methodology for success in dealing with chronic disease. His common sense analysis of the steps necessary to turn tragedy into opportunity and the methods to implement those steps, applies to anyone who is in need of direction and focus. I wonder how much more successful all our lives would be had we ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣

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“Hi—-I am impressed with your organization and efforts. I would like to join but I do not have a PayPal account. May I send you a check and not join until it clears? I have already called my dentist and will talk with him tomorrow. You have inspired me.
Sam Johnston, Ret. Judge”

RESPONSE “Yes, of course we are happy to accept checks. Thank you for your support and interest and keep us posted !”

It has now been two months since I received my glasses from Dr. Kohtz. I have gone through three eye-vision therapy sessions with Anna, her assistant. The first thing that Anna has me do is look into a cone that has a bright blue light at the end of the cone. I spend ten minutes staring at the light and during that period time, another color starts to appear. The purpose of this exercise is to improve my peripheral vision by getting the brain to incorporate color in that area. My first two visits I couldn’t see the second color, but on the third visit, I did. I also do a bifocal tracing exercise tracing an object first with my dominant (right) hand and then changing the pencil to my left hand and tracing the same object. What has been interesting is that the left hand on my first visit and the ability to do the tracing and see the point of the pencil through the bifocal optics was difficult to see. But after the third session, both hands duplicated the visual object perfectly with no problem in seeing the pencil point. There are another group of exercises that Anna put me through during each session and all of these exercises have improved proficiency in performance of the exercises.

I believe these exercises have improved my peripheral vision so that I am able to now read faster. I am seeing more words at one time thus improving my reading speed and proficiency in comprehension.