Parkinson’s Connect: Empowering Through Mentorship in SW Florida

I have been diagnosed for about 5 years. I exercise a lot! I spend about 20 hours a week at the YMCA. Most all the staff at the Englewood Y know that I have Parkinson. I recently passed my Group Fitness Instructor certificate course, the Y has hired me as a part time Fitness instructor, I have been team teaching the Parkinson Exercise class in Englewood for almost a year. Often the staff will bring members with Parkinson to me so we can talk.

Contact Rick:

I was officially diagnosed with PD way back in June of 2017. I remember vividly at first being in total shock and feeling that I was given a death sentence in a sense. However, thanks to the support of my wife, my friends and medical team I soon discovered through my passionate research and being inquisitive that one can still enjoy a good life life after diagnosis. After neglecting my physical health for many years, I now found a definite incentive and reasons to take better care of my health by means of beneficial exercise, eating healthier and staying positive while helping others with my illness.
I wish to mentor those newly diagnosed who are in the initial shock and non acceptance phase to see this is not the end of their life but rather to see the possibilities that now lie before them and what they can do to greatly improve the quality of their life now and going forward.

Contact Roger:

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Been married since 1977. We moved to Florida in 1988.

For 16 years, I worked as an executive Assistant. Retired in 2015. Enjoyed golf and going for walks. ( 4 miles a day) I

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January of 2022 but had it since 2019 when I first lost my gait. I exercise 5 – 6 days a week. I enjoy talking with other people who have Parkinson’s and help whenever I can.

Contact Sharon:

At 43, while I was a full-time anesthesiologist, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  I knew no one else my age in similar circumstances.  While I have a great neurologist and very supportive colleagues and coworkers, I often felt alone.

As I neared retirement I felt strongly that doing something meaningful would be key to my happiness and satisfaction. Furthermore, meaningful came to be defined as helping those newly diagnosed and suffering with the unknown future of Parkinson’s as well as spending time with the socially isolated.  For me, this journey is just beginning but my experience thus far has been much more positive than anticipated, deeply philosophical and ever humbling.

Contact Aaron,

I retired from a career in school and clinical psychology at the age of 67. Three years later, in 2017, I was diagnosed with PD. Looking back, there were some early signs that I had attributed to aging. Since then I’ve been on the path of continuous learning and frequently reminded of the power of sharing our PD experiences.

Several years ago my physical therapy clinic started an online support group for clients taking Zoom exercise classes (Rock Steady Boxing). Since then, another member and I have taken over facilitation of this weekly discussion group. I’d like to be able to give a listening ear to other PD folks and perhaps offer some insights from my experience. It’s important to keep an optimistic outlook and stay motivated!

I’m lucky to have a supportive wife and family. They recognize my efforts to keep moving every day. I’ll add that after playing guitar since about age 16, I gave it up when it became physically difficult. About that time my wife wisely got me a ukulele, which is easier. Maybe I can’t play as well as I used to, but I definitely can play. You will usually see me at one of the local ukulele group meetings.

This brings me to one of my principles. Think back to things you did that brought pleasure and satisfaction, and possibly brought you together with people. There may be ways to adapt that could surprise you!

Contact Andy,

Retired Marine Corps fighter pilot, diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease on my 48th birthday. As a Marine I had been accustomed to a high level of fitness and coordination. My duties included flying high performance jets aboard aircraft carriers, a four year tour as a Topgun instructor, and squadron commander. It was humbling to learn that I had PD. In the 21 years since, there have been many trials and challenges, but there have also been many blessings and great hope.

It is important to share some encouragement with others as they start their journeys.

Contact Bob:

I hooked up with my new buddy “Parkinson’s” officially in 2016. Since then, we go everywhere together, the good, the bad and yes, the ugly, While challenging, this journey has provided me the opportunity to meet so many great people and build a solid support group. I am a lucky guy!

Just like you, there are things in my life that are important. These things are my family, my friends, my coworkers, the Detroit Tigers, and MY WOLVERINES…GO BLUE!

I will tell you what makes me and my story different than the others. I have lived in Michigan 62 years. My first car was a Dodge Dart. I broke my neck and carried at 198 bowling average. I mow the lawn. I have gone through the challenge of telling my family, declaring at work and maintaining a full-time position, co-leading the disability support group at work, running a PD conversation group, buying a hi-rise toilet seat and medicine for constipation, making videos to promote understanding, helping organize the Grand Rapids Hero Walk, and being a caregiver for a family member with epilepsy. Through all of this, I have learned to be as comfortable speaking to a hundred people as I am to one. We can talk about anything and everything.

Maintaining a positive perspective is what gives me the strength to stand up and advocate for everyone in my community. Part of this is that I love my medical team. They have got my back. I laugh every chance I get. I love to kick PD’s behind every day. I love to see others do the same.

This is what I know: I have Parkinson’s. I know eating well and exercise are key to any health battle. I have an amazing network to help me stay in touch with what is going on in the world regarding PD and I pay attention. I take my meds and do not miss medical appointments. I listen, I read, and I figure out what works to win. Then I do it.

Why am I doing this? I want you to win. That means winning however you define it. Each step we take towards winning brings all of us closer to winning.

Contact Chris:

September 19, 2020, a date I will always remember, the date I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. For me that word meant that my life was over, here I was 67 years old with a disease, that there was no cure for, and I was going to spend the rest of my life needing someone to take care of me. I was no longer going to be able to do the simple things in life that I took for granted.

I soon found out how wrong I was! I found a support group (Detroit Support Group). My neurologist referred me to Speech Pathology, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. I also started exercising 7 days a week for at least 1 hour a day. The best medicine for PD is to get out and join groups to meet people that know and understand how you feel. I am now a part of Rock Steady Boxing (Parkinson’s Movement Center), Motor City Upbeats Therapeutic Singing Club, Water Aerobics, and I also started a personal Journal about my feelings concerning Parkinson’s which I named Fear Knocking at My Door. My best support is my family, they have been with me since day one of my PD journey.

I am inviting you to join me in this journey, together we can slow this disease down if not stop it all together.

Contact Deborah,

The tremors started seemingly out of the blue, the diagnosis was made, but it wasn’t for another couple years that I realized life could go on with joy, purpose and meaning in spite of and because of PD. With the loving support of my husband, friends and members of the Parkinson’s support group we belong to, my world has expanded to include knowledge of the disease, treatment options, healthy lifestyle choices and hope for the future. Having just completed the DBS surgery and programing, I am looking forward to hours of increased on-time, fewer hours of dyskinesia and tremor and less medicine.

Retired elementary school teacher, wife of husband Aaron for 40 years, mother of three children in their 30s, and grandmother of four, I love to read, hang out with friends, putter around in my garden, travel, and play with the grandkids.

Contact Diane:

Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s can be scary and isolating. Doctors are not necessarily in tune with just how devastating a diagnosis of Parkinson’s can be to an individual. As a mentor and someone with Parkinson’s, I hope to alleviate some of the fears, uncertainty and anxiety that often accompanies a diagnosed by giving them someone to talk to. I would encourage them to share their experiences and concerns and I could provide them with information on a number of local resources.

Contact Dorene

When you first hear the diagnosis that you have Parkinson’s Disease, or even if you have had it for a period of time, your life is transformed right in front of you. You actually allow all the negative thoughts of “WHAT or WHY” flood your mind. All you can see is every false image of who you are and what you will become. All you really want is to feel good and to be accepted for the right reasons. So what is happening right now is that all the “HOPE” for your life is being shattered in your present & future self. It is being stolen from you, leaving you with nothing but emptiness.

I believe as mentors it is our calling to help by being diggers. “Blessed is the man who digs a well from which another may draw Faith & Hope”. We help find the answers for the persons who are caught up in the trap of Parkinson’s Disease. We are the ones who stand beside them as they find strength and peace in their hearts. When their hearts are strengthened they can look into the face of Parkinson’s and say, “You cannot define me. That is Jesus’s job.”

It will be 3 years ago this August (2022) that I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. I have learned in over 35 years as a minister that a strong support system is an absolute must. My wife, Lori, and my family are the core strength of my support system. I increase my endurance and mobility thru exercise programs, such as Big and Loud and Rock Steady Boxing, with coaches and others who have PD and have also become friends and encouragers. I’m a firm believer that with your faith and your strong support system you can be an overcomer.

My decades of experience working with individuals as a life coach, mentor, councilor, pastor, and helping others, often those with destructive behaviors, to see through the fog of a lifetime of bad choices, enables me to use these skills to help those dealing with Parkinson’s.

The Lord is not in love with a new version of your future self. He is in love with who you are right now.

Contact Howard:

I have been a primary Care Partner for my loved one for the past 15 years,  We have experienced and learned much on this Parkinson’s journey.  I compare the journey to a river.  Early symptoms progress slowly and life is smooth  for the most part. As the journey progresses from calm still waters to running stream and encountering rough waters & surprise waterfalls down stream.  I have learned to be flexible and do all I can to prepare.

I am a Support Group leader of a local NCPSG chapter, attend PD seminars, and participate in Care Partner group meetings.

I worked in the Hospitality Industry part time for 6 years, after retiring from working 33 years in retail management for JCPenney at the store, district and corporate level.

I have a passion for people and my life mission to serve others.

Contact Irene:

I believe I have a unique opportunity to speak as both a PD patient, diagnosed in September 2019 in my mid-fifties, and a care partner for my father, who also had PD, diagnosed in late 2020. I firmly believe that you must keep moving to slow down the progression, so I’ve embraced that philosophy to the fullest. I am a big fan of Rock Steady Boxing for PD, not only for the physical benefits but for the new friends you’ll make and the connections you’ll soon embrace. I also find great connections through a local PD support group I meet with monthly. I look forward to speaking to you as we navigate our PD journey.

Contact Jeff:

We were introduced to Parkinson 35 years ago when Joe’s father was diagnosed. Prior to that we had barely heard of Parkinson’s, let alone understood what it was. We were not his primary caregivers, but took on an ever-growing set of responsibilities around his house so he could maintain his independence and quality of life.

Twenty years later, Stephanie’s mother was diagnosed. She stepped into the role of primary caregiver, doing the shopping, banking, cleaning, laundry, coordinating doctor’s visits and managing the medicine. Again, we assumed responsibilities around her house so she could maintain her independence.

Then eight years ago in 2015, Joe was diagnosed. He went home and crawled into bed for 2 days. Stephanie on the other hand went into action mode. Taking the lessons that we learned with our parents, we made an appointment at the Michigan Parkinson Foundation, researched the right neurologists for us, and looked for clinical research trial opportunities.

We are a team! Stephanie understands the progression and changes I am going through and adapts our lifestyle to accommodate. I am overwhelmed by her willingness to take on this challenge while keeping a positive outlook as we walk this journey together.

We live an active lifestyle, working part-time, visiting with friends, volunteering, golfing, camping, and exercising. We spent 3 months this past year traveling with our camper. We realize we are not in control, but we keep a positive outlook and believe we can make a difference. We do that by volunteering at organizations and related events, working on committees, talking with students in physical therapy programs and participating in clinical research trials. It is our belief that without an understanding of the disease; diagnosis, slowing the progression, halting, and ultimately eliminating the disease will not be possible.

Feel free to reach out to Stephanie as a caregiver, or myself as a person living my best life with PD, or both of us as a team.  We’d gladly share our experiences:

As a PWP I feel that I am in a unique position to be of help to those in the Parkinson’s community. I used to be a very physically active person, competitive figure skating, ultimately ending up coaching. I also marched in the high school and college bands. I worked continuously from age fifteen until age forty four when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. When I was diagnosed, I was eight years into my second career, having medically retired from the first. I have much to offer to my fellow PWP’s and am hoping that by sharing my story I can improve someone’s life and quell the fears that we face as we navigate our new normal.

Contact Kimberly

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in August 2019 and was shocked. As a psychology professor and research scientist, I felt the need to learn what I could about PD and deal with it from both medical and psychological perspectives. Along the way, I have blogged about it on my Psychology Today blog as “A Scientist Grapples With Parkinson’s Disease” and annual updates. Along with my scientific mind seeking an understanding, I also met several others with PD and we share information on topics ranging from our personal fears and successes to our meds, to the newest PD research. That combination of information and support has been VERY helpful in dealing with my PD. Personally, my PD is in an interesting state with tremors mostly controlled by meds (unless I get stressed or cold) but cognitive issues showing up although it’s hard to disentangle cognitive issues from aging issues. I still have some other symptoms such as typing as my left hand can no longer keep up with my right when typing. A true challenge! I also have other symptoms such as a reduced appetite as well as bouts of exhaustion, depression and anxiety. I am 74 and recently retired from 45 years teaching psychology at CSU Dominguez Hills in LA. For the last 35+ years I taught and studied the psychological impact of technology.

Contact Larry:

I believe I can help newly diagnosed people with the challenges and transitions they’ll need to make, and help them develop new and constructive perspectives.

Contact Matt

I was diagnosed with PD in August 2016. Needless to say, I was shocked. I know how difficult it is to talk about PD with family, friends and acquaintances. It’s easier to talk about the disease with people who have it. Few of my friends know I have PD. I want to be a mentor to share what I have learned about PD because it is such a complicated disease. It is especially scary when you are recently diagnosed and you want to know the best treatment options to slow the progression. There is so much information on the internet, and when you talk to other people with Parkinson’s, their treatment is never the same.

My background: I had a 30-year career as a Communications Advisor to C-level executives at IBM in New York. I also was a reporter in the Los Angeles bureau of the UPI wire service and a writer/photographer for a New York-based trade magazine publisher. After retiring from IBM in 2011, I was Director of Special Projects and Administration for New York Junior Tennis & Learning, a nonprofit that combines tennis and an after-school program to keep at-risk youth off the streets. I also was on the Board of Directors for Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, which provides a college education to individuals incarcerated in New York prisons. Although I have PD, I’m an avid tennis player and scuba diver.

Contact Maxine:

I am a Person with Parkinson’s who was diagnosed prior to my 37th birthday. Hearing those words, “You have Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease,” I’ll never forget those feelings of confusion, heartache and not knowing where to turn for help. I had three kids still in school and I was working full-time. Then I felt I didn’t exactly know what Parkinson’s meant but I didn’t have time for it.

I quickly learned over the last 8 years that my lifestyle was going to have to change as “Mr. P” (Mr. Parkinson’s) had its own plans for me. After going through the most unique and powerful self-observation, self-healing, Deep Brain Stimulation, I understood that this is simply a new chapter in my life.

I may not be able to skydive like I did before, but I’m learning how to navigate and enjoy life within itself. My perspective on most things is that I cannot lose my sense of humor. I am determined to make the rest of my years, the best of my years, one day at a time.

Contact Melissa:

I am 64 year old, married, male. Diagnosed with PD in 2015, DBS in May 2022, please see my experiences below. I retired earlier this year. I would like to help others live their best lives with PD.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cmichaelcosta/

Contact Mike:

“You have Parkinsons Disease.” I will never forget those words in July 2021 when I was first diagnosed with PD at age 55 by a Neurologist with poor bedside manners. I was devastated with this shocking unexpected news, and in a dark place emotionally and mentally. To seek a 2nd opinion, I contacted a highly regarded Movement Disorder Specialist. She was wonderful and spent 2 hours with my wife and I confirming my diagnosis. After the military, I built a successful career over 20+ years in the automotive industry in senior leadership positions of increasing responsibilities. I have been sought after frequently in my career as a Senior Leadership Mentor to high potential employees.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs has classified me as a 100% service-connected disabled US Marine Corps veteran due to contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune, Jacksonville, NC. However, I am living my best life with Parkinson’s with diet, daily exercise, and strong positive mental toughness.

As a former highly trained US Marine, I feel that I am uniquely qualified to help support Veterans in the Parkinson’s community, and someone newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s. My sincere objective is that by sharing my story, I can improve someone’s quality of life and address the inevitable anxiety and fears that come with our shared PD journey.

Contact Nate:

My father had Parkinson’s and was diagnosed at age 86 years young. I knew there was something wrong with myself but decided I would delay my diagnosis until my father passed. I was officially diagnosed with PD in 2009. I recently had DBS surgery which in my case benefited me greatly. I know first hand how PD affects one’s self, parents, spouses, children, friends, work as well as the financial burdens that arise.

My career involved extensive international travel running a large export business, global sourcing, marketing, distribution as well international marketing. During my 30 years of working with my organization I was also involved with paper machines, box plants, Kyoto protocol/climate change and ensuring compliance with the UN. Finally, I was part of the key management team involved financial resources, SPACS, and liquidating companies

I have been retired since I was 50 years old and find myself wanting to give more of myself to others as well as benefit from listening, sharing, and experiencing the joy that today and tomorrow holds for all of us.

Contact Paul:

I have been diagnosed for about 5 years. I exercise a lot! I spend about 20 hours a week at the YMCA. Most all the staff at the Englewood Y know that I have Parkinson. I recently passed my Group Fitness Instructor certificate course, the Y has hired me as a part time Fitness instructor, I have been team teaching the Parkinson Exercise class in Englewood for almost a year. Often the staff will bring members with Parkinson to me so we can talk.

Contact Rick:

I was officially diagnosed with PD way back in June of 2017. I remember vividly at first being in total shock and feeling that I was given a death sentence in a sense. However, thanks to the support of my wife, my friends and medical team I soon discovered through my passionate research and being inquisitive that one can still enjoy a good life life after diagnosis. After neglecting my physical health for many years, I now found a definite incentive and reasons to take better care of my health by means of beneficial exercise, eating healthier and staying positive while helping others with my illness.
I wish to mentor those newly diagnosed who are in the initial shock and non acceptance phase to see this is not the end of their life but rather to see the possibilities that now lie before them and what they can do to greatly improve the quality of their life now and going forward.

Contact Roger:

I always want to help people find the positive side of Parkinson’s – the people they will meet and interact with. Diagnosed with PD in 2017 I’ve learned that fighting PD is most important and not a death sentence.

Contact Sarah:

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2012. I have many symptoms long before being diagnosed. I think I can provide information and support to someone who has Parkinson’s disease.

Contact Sharleen:

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania. Been married since 1977. We moved to Florida in 1988.

For 16 years, I worked as an executive Assistant. Retired in 2015. Enjoyed golf and going for walks. ( 4 miles a day) I

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January of 2022 but had it since 2019 when I first lost my gait. I exercise 5 – 6 days a week. I enjoy talking with other people who have Parkinson’s and help whenever I can.

Contact Sharon:

I was diagnosed nearly 16 years ago, and although I have had some physical decline, I maintain a generally optimistic outlook for the future. Early on, I made the decision to take the initiative to find out how to live my best life moving forward with this disease. As an athlete, I was happy to discover that exercise was key to slowing the progression of the disease. I also learned early in this journey that everyone’s experience with this disease is different, and that I shouldn’t “borrow trouble,” by assuming that symptoms other PD patients experienced would ultimately be my fate as well.

I have had not one, but two DBS surgeries, so I can speak of that experience first hand. Also, as a facilitator of the PD SELF program (a fantastic program that teaches self efficacy tools to newly diagnosed people with PD and their care partners) in Detroit for 5 years, I feel that my experience with that program would be helpful to those folks who are overwhelmed by a new diagnosis.

Although I have had to hang up my hockey skates, I can still golf reasonably well, and still enjoy a vigorous bike ride. My nature photography hobby which used to include walking great distances, lugging heavy cameras with huge lenses, has transitioned to short walks carrying a single lightweight camera and a built in zoom lens.

I am blessed to have my incredible wife Rose as my care partner, and tremendous support from my friends and family. I don’t know for sure what the future holds (but then again who does?), but my faith allows me to face that future peacefully.

Contact Steve:

When I was first diagnosed September 2019, I didn’t know anything about Parkinson’s. I had been having various symptoms for months which resulted in me being sent to the ER by an Urgent Care doctor and then by ambulance again by my Primary Care doctor who thought I was having a stroke. I had multiple tests and MRIs but no diagnosis. I was seen by a neurologist twice and then finally was sent for a DATScan which confirmed with my symptoms that I had PD. I educated myself as much as possible and I am now involved in multiple research studies and I want to be able to help others that are newly diagnosed to understand what is happening to them and to be able to get the resources and help they need.

Contact Susan:

The only thing I knew about Parkinson’s Disease was Michael J Fox but, in reality, I knew nothing about PD until my husband, Frank, was diagnosed in 2018. Up to this time, we led a pretty active social life, golfing, travel etc. I’m sure like most others in this situation, the initial signs were completely lost on us, but now, of course, make absolute sense. The small handwriting and hallucinations being the most prominent to start with, and right-side tremors followed. Because Frank could no longer drive, I retired from my fulltime office job to be at home with him. We’ve spent the last 6 years educating ourselves as much as we can and after 4 visits to the ER over the past year, have finally landed with a neurologist (our 3rd), cardiologist, and PCP (our 2nd) who we feel are providing us with the very best care/advice possible. This has been a scary and challenging time for both of us, coming to terms with this life-changing diagnosis, adjusting to our new lifestyle and setting achievable daily goals. But every day brings something new. And as strange as this may sound, this ‘something new’ is actually rewarding because we’re learning more and more about not only the disease but about ourselves, and how to cope on a daily basis with Parkinsons and each other. We’ve found that just taking one minute, one hour, one day at a time has been the best approach. My sincere wish as a Mentor to anyone with Parkinsons is to first, provide comfort and assurance they are not alone, and secondly to provide support and share knowledge with them, their family and friends about all the resources, information and events that our Parkinson associations have available. No one should have to take this journey alone.

Contact Talei:

I am 66 years old and have had Parkinson’s Disease for over 20 years although I was formally diagnosed in 2018. I have always been very active. Knowing now that exercise has been shown to slow the progression of Parkinson’s, I exercise almost daily. I enjoy any activity that involves the outdoors. Having Parkinson’s, I understand and experience the challenges faced everyday mentally and physically with the disease. I desire to continue to help people in any way to process and work with their diagnosis.

Contact Tamara:

But I’m only 43, I can’t  have Parkinson’s.”   That was my reaction when I was first told I likely had PD.  It took another year of doctors to confirm that diagnosis.

I spent several years wrestling, bargaining, and finally accepting that I had this progressive disease.  I had reached a crossroads of “now what?” Do I sit around feeling sorry for myself and let this disease consume me?  Or do I take charge of my future and live my life to the fullest for as long as I can.  Please read further to see how I came to terms with Parkinson’s Disease.

On a warm summer morning during one of my usual early Saturday morning rounds of golf at the Brookshire, I took an extra moment on the tee box, allowing all of my senses to take in the picture-perfect morning. Without warning, tears began streaming down my face.  Although I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s six years earlier, it wasn’t until this perfect moment in time that I was overcome with the reality that I have an incurable progressive disease which will someday likely rob me of moments like this and take away my ability to play the game that I love so much.  This was the inspiration for the golf outing I host each year.

With help from my wife, Brenda, my daughter Madison, my Mom, my Dad, and many others along the way, our golf outing has grown into something far beyond anything I ever could have imagined.  It has given me something positive on which to focus my time and energy.  It has resulted in the formation of Making the Turn Against Parkinson’s and helped me find a voice I never knew I had.  It has granted me peace of mind knowing I have a connection to golf despite what the future may hold for me.  But most importantly, it has provided me the opportunity to make many new friends and meet a lifetime of interesting people I wouldn’t have otherwise.

To quote my own personal motto, “I cannot say being diagnosed with Parkinson’s has been a good thing.  But I can say, good things have happened to me because I have Parkinson’s.”

Whether meeting on the course or by phone, I hope I by sharing my experience with Young Onset Parkinson’s and Deep Brain Stimulation surgery, I can help you better understand your own Parkinson’s journey.

Born in 1947 in Sioux Falls, So Dakota. Graduated from University of So Dakota with majors in Math and Physics in 1969. Received an MBA in 1970. Entered the workforce with the CPA firm Peat Marwick Mitchell and Co. (now KPMG). Went to work for a client in the printing field. In 1978, formed Applied Graphics, Inc. Built the company to $37MM in revenue in 2006 at which time sold the business to a public company. Currently live in San Diego with wife of 40 years. Two grown children both live in San Diego. Core belief…you are only limited by your goals.

Contact Tom:

I have been a teacher all my professional life and as a past president of the Parkinson’s Association in San Diego I received lots of phone calls from newly diagnosed patients and was able to talk them through the shock of the new diagnosis and show them all of the resources that are available to them at our association.

Contact Wayne: