What a beautiful day it was on Saturday, October 4,
2008!! Perfect weather for our Clays For A Cure fundraiser held at
Northeast Alabama Sporting Clays, Ft. Payne, AL. We had 33
participants with a young shooter Matt Rigsby breaking the most targets for
the day. He was sponsored by Gary Hackney. We collected
several donations and are still collecting pledges. If you would like
to contribute to this great cause, please let us know.
I am very grateful to all who helped with the PD event and I say thank you from
the bottom of my heart! A special thank you to my husband Dan Meenen for
his devotion to me for 37 years. He has endured a lot of agony with me and
never been defeated. If it weren't for my brain surgery and his help, I
would only be a memory or in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. But that is
what I have to think about for the future if a cure is not found
because Parkinson's is a progressive disease. I have good days and bad but
I will never give up hope! It is a terribly debilitating disease.
How many of you have not been able to even dress yourself, tie your shoes, or
button your shirt or comb your hair? Just think about that and there are
so many young folks now who are afflicted with this disease that it is
astounding. We must have research to find a cause and cure for this
disease and so many more neuro-degenerative diseases, i.e. MS, ALS, etc.
A special thank you to Eddie and Drew Freeman for all their hard work.
Also, I would like to thank Benny Neeley, Brant Craig, Drew Freeman and Doug
Parker for all their help, advice, information, encouragement, etc. and
their donations. Thanks to our friend Jimmy Baker for his donation and
help. Thanks to Stacey Neeley for sending out information and his advice.
You are all very compassionate and caring men.
Also, thanks to all the shooters who came and supported us--some are new and
some are old friends. I appreciate each of you! Thanks to my PD
friends James Trussell and Steven Boyd and my family who attended and assisted
with the event yesterday. You are all so amazing.
A special thank you to Mike Tapley and Medtronic for the delicious lunch
provided by them and catered by Golden Rule Barbecue. Mike is a shooter
and plans to return to NEASCA to participate in some of the events.
Please tell everyone we are still collecting pledges and taking donations if
anyone is interested. You can make the check payable to The Parkinson
Alliance and mail it to me at 1702 Killingsworth Cove Rd, Gurley, AL
35748.
Carol Meenen
Senior Advisor
For Newly Diagnosed Patients
Parkinson's Action Network