Achievement Badges

 Greetings Family, Friends, and Colleagues:

April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month. Parkinson’s Disease afflicts approximately 1 out of every 300 Americans. This statistic does not include the profound effect Parkinson’s has on the care partners, families, and friends of those who live with Parkinson’s 24/7.

To further awareness about this insidious disease, the 28th Parkinson's Unity Walk will be held in Central Park, NY on Saturday, April 23, 2022 (rain or shine). This year's event offers ways to engage, share and unite in person again.

As many of you already know, my father, Dr. Arthur H. Klaum, was a surgeon whose decades-long career was devoted to his patients in Brooklyn and Queens, NY. In 1982, Dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. For him, like so many other Parkinson’s patients, his was a career-ending diagnosis.

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in early 2015, I was much more fortunate in that I was able to continue working as a law clerk and later as a Court Attorney-Referee in Suffolk County Supreme Court, roles which I loved until I retired from the Court System last year. In the more than thirty years between my father’s diagnosis and mine, the science around Parkinson’s has literally exploded. At the same time, some fundamentals remain as true today as they were forty years ago when my then 61 year old father learned he had Parkinson’s Disease.

There is still no cure for Parkinson’s or commonly accepted treatment to prevent its occurrence. The gold standard treatment for those afflicted with Parkinson’s is still dopamine replacement in one form or another. Sadly, there is still no known treatment to slow progression of P.D., although scientists and practitioners generally agree that exercise slows Parkinson’s progression.

Proceeds of donations by and for Unity Walk fundraisers like myself are shared by the following organizations devoted to speeding a cure for a disease that affects so many-

American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA)
Parkinson's Foundation (PF)
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF)
The Parkinson Alliance (PA)

Acknowledging that there are many worthy causes seeking your financial support, won’t you please consider sponsoring me in the Parkinson’s Disease Unity Walk on April 23rd and donating whatever you can to speed a cure of this relentless disease? The simplest way is by donating on my webpage. It’s that easy. No amount is too small. Know that your contribution is important and appreciated as we work together to discover the key to unlocking the cause of Parkinson’s and preventing its occurrence once and for all.
Many thanks,
Diane