As a PD patient, the first day of every April, the start of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, means a lot. To the average person, it is just an ordinary day, but I’ve long been planning to change just that...

This past April 1, I organized a reunion with my “Parkinistas,” a group of ladies with PD who enjoy each other’s company and raising awareness about our disease. When I arrived at the coffee shop, my friends were already there, so I approached the counter to order a coffee. While waiting for my order, I couldn’t help overhearing a woman mentioning that she works for a local television station and was on her break. This was my big chance!

I approached her and immediately launched into my “lecture” on Parkinson’s and dragged her back to the table where my friends were sitting. I told her about the work I do through The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and Fox Trial Finder to promote the need for clinical trial volunteers, and that my friends and I were there meeting to help raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease.

Our impromptu interview ultimately made it to the local news. And it reinforced, that we, the patients, are needed to step up and take every single opportunity to get involved and participate – whether it be in research, education, advocacy, etc.

I ended April 1, the first day of Parkinson’s Awareness Month, by sending in paperwork to determine my eligibility to participate in a clinical trial. Will I be selected? I don’t know yet, but the list of trials that need someone like me is ever-growing in my Fox Trial Finder account. There is always another trial around the corner or another opportunity to spread the word. This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, keep your eyes peeled, there are endless ways to get involved!