I wanted to share this video that Debi Brooks, the co-founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation, narrates and explains their role and impact on Parkinson's drug and therapies development.  I think this video clearly explains why your donations are so important and how they are utilized.

GOOD MORNING!!

It is a crisp fall morning and I am sitting on my deck with a cup of coffee watching the sunrise and began to review the past year and half in my mind. It has truly been an amazing journey and humbling to have such great friends and family support me with the challenges that have come along with Parkinson's disease. In January 2011, I had started what was named " Team Ryan's Hope " for what I had thought would be a group of about a dozen people who would walk with me at the 2011 Parkinson's Unity Walk. To my surprise - we grew to over 55 individuals that raised over $16,500 to fund research for PD!!!

Ryan's Hope has now become so much more. It used to be just a team name, but now it is a motto. It is my hope , that there will be a cure for PD in my lifetime. It is my hope , that I can help raise awareness of Young Onset Parkinsons Disease. It is my hope , that I can assist those who are newly diagnosed with PD to come to grips with the diagnosis. It is my hope, that I can inspire others to live their life to the fullest extent before they lose their ability to achieve their goals. To help achieve my hopes and dreams, I aligned myself and Team Ryan's Hope with two great organizations that have similar goals and philosophies - The Parkinson's Unity Walk and Team Fox (The grassroots fundraising arm of the Michael J. Fox Foundation). These two organizations have inspired me to do things I would not have even thought of 2 years ago. And for that I am grateful!

Through this inspiration by these groups, I realized I had to pay it forward and inspire others - those diagnosed with PD and those out there who support us, To spread my reach out to as many as I could, this past summer I created a web site ( www.ryans-hope.net ) and blog ( www.blog.ryans-hope.net ). This web site is an informational site for people living with PD and those who support us. It lists up- to- date info on research and treatments, upcoming fundraising opportunities, resources for patients and families, and inspiring stories from the Parkinson community. The blog can be connected to from the web site or independently. I utilize this to occasionally highlight what is happening in the PD world or my world. You can subscribe to receive updates via email by supplying your email address in the subscribe box. You can also be kept up to date by "Liking" Team Ryan's Hope on Facebook or "Follow" Ryans_Hope on Twitter.

There are many great fundraising events this fall that members and friends of Team Ryan's Hope are hosting or participating in. These individuals are going the extra mile to raise awareness and funds for Parkinson's research!!! I am asking that if you know these people, to support them in various ways (come out and cheer them on, attend their event, or make a donation toward their fundraising.

FOR THE ATHLETES :

• Sunday, October 7 - RIVER VIEW RUN (to benefit MJFF) - The 5K run/walk and 10K run is through the scenic Storm King mountain and Hudson River area. The race will take place on Route 218, from Cornwall to West Point. Barbara, Brittany and I will be participating in the race. It should be a beautiful scenic run in the middle of autumn! If interested in registering for the run click here http://riverviewrun.eventbrite.com/ and let us know you will be joining us.

• Sunday, November 4 - THE ING NYC MARATHON - I cannot get over the number of friends and family that have dedicated their physical bodies to run 26.2 miles in hopes of raising money for research. Please come out and cheer these folks on as they travel through the 5 boroughs of NYC. I am truly honored to know that these individuals are this dedicated to a cause that is so dear to me. To make a donation of support click on that person's name listed below to go to their Team Fox Fundraising page. We will be day tripping into NYC to cheer on all Team Fox runners!!

• Tim Ryan (My Brother) - http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/timryan

• Steve Flynn (A Great Friend) - http://www2.michaeljfox.org/site/TR/Sponsored/TeamFox?px=1443874&pg=personal&fr_id=1210

• Susan Bilotta (Team Fox Mentor) - http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/tipsontheroad

• Karen Janos (Team Fox Mentor) - http://www2.michaeljfox.org/goto/karenjanos

FOR THE PARTY PEOPLE

• Friday, October 19 - READY, SET, LIVE!!!! -Join Nathan Kamp (WPIX 11 reporter who did my YOPD story and now a good friend) on Friday, October 19 at Le Cirque - New York the Sirio Maccioni's "iconic Midtown nexus of over-the-top, fine dining, crowd-pleasing and fabulous French cooking, superb service and a showy, sophisticated setting" as we help to end Parkinson's! Join us for an evening of fun, incredible hor d'oeuvres, cocktails at the limited open bar, music and amazing silent auction items including a Four Season's vacation package in Costa Rica. This will be THE cocktail party in NYC to be at!! For ticket and event info click on the following link http://nathankamp.ticketbud.com/ready-set-live

• Saturday, November 17 - LEAVE PARKINSON'S BEHIND - My dear friend, Nancy Mulhearn, is hosting her annual gala event for the second year in a row. Located at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse, it is a fantastic night out that includes cocktail hour, dinner, auction, and fantastic entertainment (thanks to Gypsy)! If you are interested in getting a group together and reserve a table, reach out to me. For more information, visit Nancy's Team Fox site and ticket info will be posted shortly. http://www2.michaeljfox.org/site/TR/TeamFox/TeamFox?px=1001508&pg=personal&fr_id=1053

As for me personally, I am living my life with Parkinson's and not letting Parkinson live my life for me. I am keeping busy with work, keeping up with my daughter's busy senior year activities and college planning, and trying to get back into my running activities. Life does not slow down for people with Parkinson's - just challenges us more for the things we want to achieve, And the goal in my life is ultimately a cure for PD!! As we move closer to that goal, I will continue to be a vocal advocate for YOPD a awareness and research. As always, I appreciate all of you, for keeping my head held high and always supporting my endeavors (no matter how crazy they seem). I will keep you updated on my future events for Ryan's Hope, my current goals for 2013 are:

(1) Enter the lottery again and run the NYC Half Marathon and cut 20 mins off my time (March)

(2) Host another Comedy Show in Spring 2013 that will be bigger and better than ever! More details to follow.

(3) Run and Finish the NYC ING Marathon in November 2013 (As my buddy Sam Fox says "Run While You Can"

Well, that is the update for Ryan's Hope !!!! I graciously thank you from the bottom of my heart for all we have accomplished these past 2 years and I hope you will continue to follow the progress of Ryan's Hope and help the millions of us diagnosed with Parkinson's get to that finish line of a cure!

All The Best,

John Ryan, Founder Ryan's Hope

Website: www.ryans-hope.net Follow Ryan's Hope on Facebook and Twitter

I came across this amazing individual about a year ago when I was researching the benefits of exercise and Parkinson's disease. Well, this guy has taken that concept to a whole another level!!!
His wish is to run, walk and crawl the equivalent distance of 10 million metres (6213.71 miles) by 2014, these have included the Marathon des Sables 2010 and Europe135 and hopefully the currently planned 1400 mile run across Europe, 3000 mile trans USA, Arch to Arc, Badwater, triathlons and anything else that keeps me moving. He wants to imagine if he could raise £1 for each step he makes – that would generate £1 million for research and would represent a huge leap towards a cure.
As part of his "10 Million Metres", this Wednesday, September 5, 2012, Alex Flynn, 40, will run, cycle, kayak and swim 3,563 miles across America as well as climb Mt Whitney (14,500ft), the country’s highest mountain outside Alaska for what is being called The Trans America Challenge. Mr Flynn will run 135 miles through Death Valley in California, then cycle to Chicago, kayak across Lake Erie, cycle to New York and run across the city before swimming to Liberty Island. He said: “This is my biggest challenge yet. This is almost double the distance of every race I have done in the past three years combined and I will be doing it in 30 days. "
Those of you that know me, know that I am fascinated and inspired by these extreme athletes that take on super human challenges. Like Sam Fox and James Mangini, Alex Flynn will be pushing his body to its limits all in the name of Parkinson's research for a cure. The difference being that Alex isn't racing directly for a friend or family member that was diagnosed with Parkinson's - he is the one who has Parkinson's. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2008 at the age of 38. Obviously, any normal person or average athlete can not even conceive the concept of racing across the United States. Just imagine doing it with your body not cooperating - your legs and arms unable to move in unison as your brain directs it to or your balance is so thrown off by a poor gait. Your muscles so rigid ,when you wake, it takes over an hour just to loosen up. The medication that you are taking causes you uncontrollable sleepiness that you can barely keep your eyes open or stay focussed on the task at hand. This is the reality of life for a person with Parkinson's which makes our day to day life so difficult. To throw in a 3,563 mile physical challenge into that mix. INSANE! But I have full confidence that Alex will complete the task and will have a big smile on his face at the finish.
"Keep Moving" is Alex's motto. And that is exactly what we ALL have to do!! It is important for those with Parkinson's disease to "keep moving" because studies have shown that consistent vigorous exercise can slow the progression of the disease. But this life lesson is not just for people with Parkinson's ..but for the entire population! This world has become very sedentary in its physical activities as well as its ability to take on challenges and initiatives. We have to stop letting the world pass us by and not try to change it for the better and live your life to the fullest. I came to this realization about a year ago when I realized Parkinson's will eventually rob me of my abilities to do things that I enjoy doing and prohibiting me from new experiences that I would want to try. We have to "keep moving" in a forward direction - just put one foot in front of the other and we will reach our finish line.
Please get out there and support Alex if he is coming through your neck of the woods. He is not from America so to have people along the path cheering him on will push him that extra mile. Obviously you can donate toward his quest as well too on his Team Fox page . You can also follow his journey by liking "10 Million Metres -Raising $1 Million for Parkinson's" on Facebook and visiting his website - http://www.alexflynn.co.uk/.
Alex - I personally want to thank you for sacrificing your physical and mental being to help the million of us with Parkinson's disease. It is through these unselfish acts of humanity that we realize we are not alone in this world and we all have to help each other through these challenges. We will not give up hope for a cure and together as a team we will defeat the beast that goes by the name - Parkinson's

 This is my buddy and brother in arms against Parkinson's disease - Bob Harmon!!  I met Bob H earlier this year at a Team Fox Mentor meeting in New York City and wish he had been my PD mentor from day 1 of diagnosis.  This man has the most opimistic and inpiring outlook at his life and those he comes in touch with.  This man is out there trying to change the world for those diagnosed and not ready to accept the "new" them.  He is so passionate  on showing people life doesnt end with a Parkinson's diagnosis ---simply changes and it can be for the better (as it has been for many I speak with).  If you are in the Florida area, try to see one of Bob's presentations or who knows-  he  is so good......he may take the show on the road to inspire Parkies everywhere!  HE"S GOT THIS!!