This is dedicated ...

The planning started long ago ... It started out as a dream. No - before that it was a labour of love, a talented daughter's coming to terms with the Parkinson's Disease that was transforming her father. Jane Scott of Chillicothe, Illinois, teamed up with equally talented photographer and family friend, Marc Esser, to record her father's battle with PD during the last two years of his life. Between them they captured, with paint and photography, the many varied moments, the laughter as well as the tears, the courage, the fears, that make up a life - and in the process they created a unique and moving art exhibit which toured parts of the United States raising PD awareness. Joan Snyder, another resident of Chillicothe, and a PWP in her own right, saw the exhibit when it was on tour, and asked Jane for permission to use it as the centrepiece of her PD Awareness Week display in early 1999. She was discussing her reactions to the exhibit with her friend and fellow PWP, Margaret Tuchman, when Margaret suggested that it would be a wonderful thing if a book could be compiled which combined the art and photography with articles and poetry about life with PD, written by people with PD, their carers, and loved ones. That thought was the start of the dream - and of a magnificent obsession. Joan took the idea and ran with it. She decided that she needed some help and that I was the person to give it to her. My name is Dennis Greene. Joan and I had "met" on the Parkinson's Information Exchange on the Internet and had become friends. The fact that I just happen to live half way around the world in Perth, Australia was only a minor consideration - the next thing I knew I was in Chillicothe, Illinois working on "the book". Things seem to happen that way around Joan. She combines faith and hard work in an irresistible combination. By the time I flew back to Perth "the book" was more than a dream; it was a manuscript. A manuscript that features the work of over 30 authors from all over the United States and all around the world. A manuscript of over 100 pages which combines the articles and poems with Jane and Mark's art in such a way as to give an honest portrait of life with PD yet at the same time show that we are so much more than the disease we happen to have. That was just over on a year ago - and "the book" - now named "Voices from the Parking Lot" - is at the printers. So once more I'm off to the States, this time accompanied by Jo, my wife and fellow contributor. We are going to New York in September (2000). We are going to join the rest of the "Voices" team at the PD Unity Walk in Central Park. We are going to launch "Voices". We are going to see a dream come true. A book was proudly launched ... Voices from the Parking Lot parkinson's insights and perspectives Compiled and edited by: Dennis Greene Joan Blessington Snyder Craig L. Kendell As noted on the Parkinson Alliance web site ... "Voices from the Parking Lot - parkinson�s insights and perspectives" is our self-published anthology of poems, narratives and artwork that expresses the personal experiences of people living with Parkinson�s. Our book grew out of a 22 piece art exhibit of paintings by Jane Scott and photographs by Marc Esser called "The Letting Go - A Parkinson�s Story" which chronicles Ms. Scott�s father, Claude Scott, through his struggle and transformation as a result of Parkinson�s disease. The 15 pieces of art featured in our book are accompanied by 75 literary works that share the stories of people around the world who live each day with Parkinson�s disease. Helen Gurley Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Cosmopolitan International Editions, praised "Voices from the Parking Lot," as did Abe Lieberman, medical director of the National Parkinson�s Foundation, in his reaction of our book. A foreward by Robin Elliott, executive director of the Parkinson�s Disease Foundation, Inc., sets the stage for inspiration from those "who live with and daily defy this insidious disease". To order copies of "Voices from the Parking Lot - parkinson�s insights and perspectives" at $25 per copy, plus shipping and handling, please call 1(800) 579-8440, or print out the printer-friendly order form (for international orders please use this international order form) and fax it to (609) 688-0875, or mail it to: The Parkinson Alliance, 211 College Road East, 3rd Floor, Princeton, NJ 08540. Please make all checks payable to: "The Parkinson Alliance". All profits derived from the sale of the book is directed toward scientifically validated Parkinson�s disease research on the road to the cure. The Parkinson Alliance is dedicated to raising money for the best Parkinson's disease reseachers doing the most promising research. With your generous help, we will reach our goal to find the cure by 2005. The notes from the back cover say ... "Voices From the Parking Lot" is a compilation of poetry, prose, short stories and artwork all done by People With Parkinson's (PWPs) or people who love them. It is a collection of work that illustrates that while the body may be imprisoned by Parkinson's, the mind and the spirit are free and creative. Jim Backus (the voice of Mr. Magoo), Salvatore Dali, Arthur Koestler (A Darkness at Noon), Sir Michael Redgrave, and Charles Schultz od "Peanuts" were all PWPs - their voices touched our souls. So will these. Abe Lieberman, MD Medical Director National Parkinson Foundation "Voices From the Parking Lot" speaks of the daily challenges and small victories over the progressive loss of function that is Parkinson's disease. These voices bear witness to the spiritual truth that when one door closes, another door opens. In this case, the open door leads to the creation of a collection of evocative poetry, stories and art. Jeffrey C. Martin Senior VP Saks, Inc. Partner, Shea & Gardner PWP I live from breakthrough to breakthrough, and I have seen a lot of them in just the past five years that have been remarkable. Martin Tuchman CEO Interpool, Inc. APDA, NPF, PDF, UNITY WALK Board Member Caregiver I was advised by a well-meaning health care professional not to go to a support group for the first several years after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He thought that seeing a roomful of patients with differing levels of the disease might scare me. When I did go, I was not scared by the condition of the people in the room, I was inspired by the courage and "never-give-up" attitude that they and their caregivers displayed. "Voices From the Parking Lot" is a world slice of that same courage and attitude with a large measure of creativity thrown in. James T. Cordy PWP In my travels through the years, how often have I heard neurologists comment about the intelligence and creativity amongst the Parkinson patients. This remarkable anthology proves the point. What a revealing view into the world of People with Parkinson's. A genuine creative masterpiece. Never before has a text expressed so eloquently life as a PWP. James Maurer APDA Board Member PWP While I see "Voices From the Parking Lot" as an end, and a miraculous accomplishment at that, I keep thinking of the means, the messages in the medium, the cyber-miracle of our time. The number of voices being heard from the parking lot grows without limits. Any bitterness from my inital sense of loss at my diagnosis is gone, washed away by the sweetness of the gifts embodied in this communion and in this community. Janet Paterson WebSpinner PWP And the dedication page says ... We dedicate this book to those who have already gone before us in the struggle against this disease, ... especially to Claude Scott whose life and death inspired his daughter, Jane, and family friend Marc Esser to create their powerful art: "The Letting Go - a Parkinson's Story" which in turn inspired this book ... ... and to Donald F. McKinley, who, along with his wife, Vivian, has battled Parkinson's for over 30 of his 77 years. With grace and humor, they still show us how to live life "from the Parking Lot"!

Created: 2000/11/08 Previous Page Updated: 2002/04/04