MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT -- AUGUST 2023

As I write this, it’s 119 degrees outside. Door handles and steering wheels are too hot to touch. Blinds are closed to keep out the sun. Walking to the office from the car feels like a marathon. Even inside our homes we limit movement. In the desert, the season of stillness is upon us. 

Forced inactivity is a matter of survival in the desert this time of year, even as the rest of the country celebrates the relative freedom afforded by warm temperatures and long days. In some ways we desert dwellers feel like voyeurs, peering between the blinds of our own heat-strapped homes at the joys and activities of our beach- and lake-bound neighbors. And in many ways, that can become the experience of people with Parkinson’s and caregivers... if we let it. 

This month, hampered by heat, I am thinking about effort; the greater effort we must make as people living with or caring for someone with Parkinson’s. Effort to exercise, effort to speak clearly, effort to schedule doctor’s appointments and manage medications. Effort to socialize. Effort to fight through the anxiety and depression that sometimes accompanies a Parkinson’s diagnosis. 

Sometimes it just doesn’t feel fair. And yet, you are not alone. I may feel alone in my dark, quiet home, but I know my neighbors are suffering the same crippling heat wave as I am. You may feel isolated in your scary diagnosis, but one in 60 Americans will receive the same diagnosis as you this year. So together we all must make an effort... to continue to engage with the world, to push through discomfort, to reach out for support, to wake up every day and try. 

Tomorrow, I will try again to find equilibrium in this heat. Tomorrow, what will you try again? 

In this month’s Newsletter, enjoy articles including UPDATE ON THE ROAD TO THE CURE. Check out: SEVEN TIPS FOR TRAVELING WITH PARKINSON’S; A NAP A DAY KEEPS BRAIN AGING AT BAY; WHAT MEDICARE DOES AND DOES NOT COVER; WHAT TO EAT WHEN YOU HAVE DIARRHEA; EPILEPSY DRUG SHOWS NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS, and; SIX UNUSUAL SIGNS OF DEHYDRATION.

Thank you for all you do for PRO. Your donations keep us whole. Until next month, REMEMBER National Friendship Day on August 6th, Tell a Joke Day on August 16th, National Nonprofit Day on August 17th, National Senior Citizens Day on August 21st, and National Grief Awareness Day on August 30th. The flower is the Gladiolus and the Poppy and the birthstone is the Peridot. 

ALWAYS remember to CELEBRATE YOU and PRAY FOR OUR TROOPS!