Couple Heading To Washington DC To Promote Parkinson's Awareness

John & Barbara Ryan from Randolph, NJ to Attend Parkinson’s Policy Forum in
Washington, D.C.

Randolph, NJ; March 15,2018– John & Barbara Ryan of Randolph, NJ will join more
than 300 other advocates in Washington, D.C. on March 19 – 21 to meet with their
Members of Congress to share their stories of the personal impact Parkinson’s
disease (PD) has made on their lives and the lives of their loved ones. Delegates will
educate lawmakers on the need for federal funding for research toward a cure for
Parkinson’s, and policy support for those living with the disease.
The Parkinson’s Policy Forum is co-hosted by the Parkinson’s Foundation and The
Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. The event is also supported by
nine other Parkinson’s organizations across the country. The 2018 Parkinson’s
Policy Forum will feature two days of training, followed by one day of advocacy,
congressional outreach and education to Members of Congress on Capitol Hill.
The Ryan’s and other attendees will receive tools to develop and hone their skills for
effective public policy advocacy as they prepare to meet with their senators and
representatives. Attendees will hear from scientific and policy experts at the
Parkinson’s Foundation and The Michael J. Fox Foundation on the latest
developments in PD research. Panelists also will highlight recent legislative action to
increase access to health care services, including the elimination of the Medicare
therapy cap, which advocates worked for many years to remove.
John and Barbara will meet with Senator Cory Booker and Senator Bob Menendez as
well as Congressional representative Rodney Frelinghuysen and their staff to talk
about the need to provide federal funding for Parkinson’s research programs at the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the
Department of Defense.
“I am honored to attend the 2018 Parkinson’s Policy Forum to represent the
Parkinson’s community on Capitol Hill on these important issues,” said John Ryan..
“I reach out to my Senators and Representative year-round at town halls and local
meetings, as well as through email and phone calls,”he added, “but the chance to
come together with hundreds of people like me, share our journey and show our
nation’s leaders what it means to live with Parkinson’s disease is powerful.”
The Parkinson’s Policy Forum is an annual event for people with Parkinson’s and
their families, care partners, and friends who are interested in public policy
advocacy. Advocates from nearly all 50 states convene in Washington, D.C. for
educational sessions, and meet face-to-face with their Members of Congress and
their staff.
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About the Parkinson’s Foundation
The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by
improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build
on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community. For more
information, visit www.parkinson.org or call (800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
As the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, The Michael J. Fox
Foundation is dedicated to accelerating a cure for Parkinson's disease and improved
therapies for those living with the condition today. The Foundation pursues its goals
through an aggressively funded, highly targeted research program coupled with active
global engagement of scientists, Parkinson's patients, business leaders, clinical trial
participants, donors and volunteers. In addition to funding more than $800 million in
research to date, the Foundation has fundamentally altered the trajectory of progress
toward a cure. Operating at the hub of worldwide Parkinson's research, the
Foundation forges groundbreaking collaborations with industry leaders, academic
scientists and government research funders; increases the flow of participants into
Parkinson's disease clinical trials with its online tool, Fox Trial Finder; promotes
Parkinson's awareness through high-profile advocacy, events and outreach; and
coordinates the grassroots involvement of thousands of Team Fox members around
the world. For more information, visit us on the Web, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and
Pinterest.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Affecting an estimated 1 million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson’s
disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is
the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive
loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as
well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for
Parkinson’s and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.