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Showing posts from February, 2013

Profiles of my PD Friends

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Lance Martin-A Great Friend! This is Lance Martin and he recently completed a tough mudder competition with a group of friends. I wish I could have been there cheer him on, but his wife Laura, his greatest cheerleader, captured many wonderful photos to share. One very consistent feature in each photo of Lance is his genuine smile. Lance is an amazing husband, father, and friend. He is always so positive. He is 39 and diagnosed a couple years ago with PD. I just met him in November and was immediately drawn to him and a quick bond of friendship was started.  We talk or message each other almost daily to check on each other and encourage each other. I love Lance, Laura, and their two very blessed children Christopher and Caroline! Lance, you are a ham! A happy hog in a mud hole! Lance letting Laura know he is okay

Get Signed up for The Baehr Challenge April 6th!

www.baehrchallenge.com This is a great event created by my great friends, The Brian Baehr Family, (Brian, Kaye, Matt, Preston, Riley). This is an event for everyone! This is a fundraising event for the Micheal J. Fox Foundation, a foundation highly dedicated to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease. The Baehr Family is a very exciting family who love and care deeply for each other and for the community in many ways. I am grateful to have them as my friends and being apart of their family and see these great Baehr Challenges come together! Sign up! Let's do it!

Proud Accomplishments of My PD Friends

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Lance Martin after finishing a Tough Mudder Event

Carl Ames Victory Summit Speech

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Kids and the circus!

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Have I Done Any Good? Official Music Video ft. Alex Boye & Carmen Rasmus...

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Daily Challenge: Watch Closely For Someone To Help

I have made some great friends because I allowed a stranger(s) to approach me when I was struggling to walk, who would ask me if I was ok, and offer to assist me with an arm to hang onto for stability. I enjoy meeting new people, and I am not afraid or embarrassed to tell them why I walk the way I do. I like to follow their feet and it is fun to "left right left", or other fun ways to get me going. I find that they may know someone with PD, or have had a loved one pass away having had PD. I value these new friendships. A special tribute to all my friends I have met at LA Fitness as a result of you asking if you could help me. Thanks!

Laughter Yoga Steps

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Giving My Speech at The Victory Summit

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Highlights of The Victory Summit 2013 Phoenix, AZ

The Victory Summit is an event put on by the Davis Phinney Foundation  (www.davisphinneyfoundation.org).  The DPF is an amazing foundation that focuses on helping those with Parkinson's Disease live better each day, helping to understand the value of a positive approach to life.The Victory Summit is the event that takes their positivity, education, and interaction with PD community of an area into one venue. Our Victory Summit was held in Phoenix yesterday Jan 26,2013. I am going to try to attempt to put into writing all that happened, and all that I experienced. Friday night we were invited to the welcome social. It was at the Sheraton Hotel. We got there a little late, and as we were walking into the hotel lobby I saw Davis Phinney himself. I said hello Davis Phinney, told him my name and introduced him to Leisa. He said something like, oh,you are our local hero. It was great to meet him right off the bat and I think that started a fun relationship for the event and for life.

Local Hero Award

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  Receiving the Local Hero Award was a very humbling experience and great honor to be the one of so many others that it could have went to. I certainly do not consider myself a hero, I am just so grateful that I have had the desire, strength, endurance, support from so many, to get involved and be actively doing things to help the PD community. I am so very grateful for the friendships I have made along the way. To my good friend Brian Baehr, it was a great experience having you be the one who presented the award to me, and the words you spoke of me before I came on the stage. Thank you for being there for me!  And thank you Davis Phinney for the great experience that I had with The Victory Summit. It was a great pleasure to meet you and be with you. I hope to be able to make contact with you more and maintain some type of PD.  I am mainly concerned about those with PD who are not actively involved and may be suffering in silence. We need to seek them out and b