In Los Angeles, June is often called June Gloom because of the frequent gray clouds and fog that hang out on the coast all day this time of year. You would never know it by looking at my garden which is full of beautiful new blooms this month. In addition to gorgeous flowers, my tomato plants are full of fruit and there are blueberries and strawberries ready to pick almost daily. Our mama and papa doves have moved their babies out of the nest in a hanging planter on our patio, but return frequently to remind us how wonderful spring can be. By July, the gloom lifts welcoming summer and the birds will have moved on. We hope they will return again next spring.
The NEULARK Study
We started June with a terrific program with Dr. Fatta Nahab, who spoke about the NEULARK Study for people with LRRK2-driven Parkinson’s disease this includes individuals with either rare or common LRRK2 variants that contribute to increased LRRK2 activity, confirmed by a saliva test provided by the study. If you know you have the mutation or have family members who also have PD and have not started Levodopa/Carbidopa, you may be eligible to participate in the study. Click on the video recording for more information.
Ray Dorsey, MD, PhD will be joining us in July!
Mark your calendar for Thursday, July 10 at 3:00 PM ET, 12:00 PM PT.
Dr. Dorsey will be joining us to talk about his new book written with Dr. Michael Okun, “The Parkinson’s Plan“, due out in mid-August. This book explores cutting edge research on how to prevent, slow, and treat Parkinson’s disease. It will definitely be a must-have on your Parkinson’s bookshelf along with his previous book, Ending Parkinson’s Disease.
You can pre-order The Parkinson’s Plan here. Register for the July meeting here. Please note that this meeting is on a Thursday, not Sunday.
Twitchies without Partners Chat Group
Our chat group for single women with PD is regrouping and will be meeting on the first and third Sunday of every month at 11:30 AM ET, 8:30 AM PT. There will be specific topics of discussion for each meeting and other activities. If you would like to be added to the email list, please contact my assistant Marina Di at Marinadi@usc.edu.
The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower
Have you heard about the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard? This is the newest thing for people with disabilities who travel. That includes you and me. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard is a globally recognized symbol designed to discreetly denote that the wearer has a non-visible disability and may require added support, understanding, or time in public spaces. Larry Gifford, founder of PD Avengers, has written a terrific blog post about the program for the World Parkinson Congress. You can read his post here.
Have a great week!
All photos by Sharon Krischer
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