Margot Zobel, Founder of the Parkinson's Unity Walk
Speech given April 14, 2002
It feels great to be here with you at another Parkinson's Unity Walk, looking into the crowd and spotting the familiar faces of our long-time volunteers and the new faces of those who are just joining us. A great big welcome to all of you; I am so grateful that you are here.
I am grateful, too, because I know that the face of Parkinson's has changed dramatically in recent years. When the Walk started, most people who had PD spent their time behind closed doors, denying their disease and trying to hide their symptoms from the world sometimes even from their children and families. As Joan Samuelson put it, Parkinson's was the "silent disease."
But look at us now! We put the Parkinson's agenda on the map in our neighborhoods and schools, on radio and TV, in the press, and in the office of every U.S. senator and representative. To top it off, we raised more money for research than we ever dreamed of! We have become a force to be reckoned with.
As important as any of our other accomplishments is the fact that we have formed a worldwide support network of and for people whose lives are touched by Parkinson's. With a phone call or an e-mail message, people who were formerly isolated can reach someone, somewhere, who knows what they're going through.
We can all be proud of what has been accomplished. The Parkinson's Unity Walk started out in 1994 on a shoestring, with a full-time staff of one (that was me) and about 20 devoted volunteers. We had a goal that was very important to us: to organize a walk in New York City with the endorsement of all the national Parkinson's foundations. Getting the foundations to cooperate was a daunting task, but somehow it was accomplished.
Under the motto "Fund the Research, Find the Cure," the first walk attracted only 200 people. Still, it inspired us to branch out and set higher goals. We worked with dedication, and six years later, to our amazement, 5,000 walkers joined us in the park.
Managing the Walk was challenging as well as tiring. It sustained me through the years of living with Parkinson's disease. It was the most satisfying work I had ever done.
But there came a time when my energy was running low and the PD seemed to be taking over. Reluctantly,I had to admit it was time to make a change.
You probably guessed that something was up when the person answering my phone wasn't me. But I am still Margot, and the Walk is a part of me. So I'll keep working for it, on a lighter and more realistic schedule.
Everything is running smoothly. Our office has made a complete administrative transition without skipping a beat, and the world's most efficient team has taken the hard work out of my hands.
One more thing. With research advancing faster than at any time in history, it is more important than ever to "Fund the Research, Find the Cure." Pass the word.
