proACTIVE parkinsons project is, at the moment, a "group" of one. the power of one can be amazing  so i am going forward with my chosen mission, believing that many more "ones" will join in the effort to increase awareness, education and empowerment of people with parkinsons disease.  a decade as a health facility administrator in indiana and ohio gave me in-depth experience with diseases and demises.  years in marketing and promotion in chicago gave me many skills and abilities which are coming in very handy with this project!  my last "before pd" years were spent primarily as a trainer of adults...the goal being to give them competence and confidence.  when i was diagnosed last christmas [what a gift to receive!], i wondered what is the lesson i am to learn from having pd?  alone, with all family 3,000 miles away, no significant other at the time, no literature, phone or group support, i suffered tremendously. for several months, while ill from the medications, i searched the internet and built tabbed 3-ring binders of pd information. they grew from one to three to five etc.  and as they grew, i knew.  i knew that the lesson is to try to prevent others from being alone, isolated, scared and uneducated about this disease and what the future would bring.

so...proACTIVE parkinsons project begins.

in the beautiful foothills of the sierra nevada mountains in northern california, about an hour from sacramento, is amador county... small, rural and poor.  the population of the whole county is approximately 25,000 with the population of the town of volcano, where i get my mail, a whopping eighty-five people.  the lumber mills and the gold mines are all closed now, leaving residents with few job opportunities.  many tiny towns dot the county, each with their post office and maybe a general store, but little else.  the lack of good public transportation leaves many areas isolated from goods and services most people take for granted. the largest employer is the native american casino, which fortunately provides a living for thousands of people.  just in the last few years, amador county was "discovered" by bay area people who were seeking the beauty and serenity to offset their hectic commutes and jobs in the cities.  the non-economy became a booming one, with homes being built and businesses moving in at a frantic pace.  the one stop light in the county seat of jackson has now been joined by stop lights sprouting all over like mushrooms!  we have one small hospital and three very small clinics to provide medical care.  with very few services and virtually no choices, many people have to leave the county to obtain the care they need.  we are in a major growth spurt and pd is among us.