• The daughter of Spanish immigrants and fluent in the language, Lupe established a Hispanic/Latino booth to make sure that any and all information about PD is readily available to members of the Spanish-speaking community.
  
  
• A retired Psychiatric nurse, she is keenly aware how vital it is to provide easily and accessible medical information. To make crucial PD information available to Walk participants and attendees, Lupe created the "Ask a Doctor" booth. Clearly one of the most popular attractions, it is staffed by doctors from Beth Israel, Mount Sinai, and New York Columbia Presbyterian hospitals.
  
  
• Want to learn more about Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) – one of the newest treatments for PD? Well, come to the annual Parkinson's Unity Walk and thanks to Lupe you can learn all about this exciting new breakthrough in the treatment of PD.

A resident of Long Island, Lupe was diagnosed in 1981, but continued working for another five years. Having PD was not a part of Lupe's everyday conversations until after she retired. However, once she started talking about it, there was no stopping her. After meeting Joan Samuelson, Founder & President of the Parkinson's Action Network (PAN), Lupe signed on to help secure passage of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Act in 1997. While attending a support meeting at Columbia Presbyterian, Lupe met the heart and soul behind the Parkinson's Unity Walk – Margot Zobel – and immediately became one of the key figures behind its success. Currently, Lupe is the New York State Coordinator for PAN. In this position, she is responsible for all Parkinson's political advocacy efforts statewide. There is an old saying that "You can't keep a good man down." Well, change the word "man" to "woman" and you are describing Lupe McCann. Shortly after the 2003 Unity Walk, Lupe fell down a flight of stairs. Her recovery has not been easy, but as she says, "I am recovering nicely and have to credit my positive attitude. That is the key to it all."