Quilt raises awareness of PD

The World Parkinson’s Congress unveiled the Parkinson’s Quilt, created by 600 quilters from 14 countries, five Canadian  provinces, and 46 states. It is designed to raise awareness of the impact the disease has on people living with it — as well as their families, caregivers and friends — and on the urgency to find a cure.

“There were 39 quilts hanging from the ceiling and each was made up of 16 panels,” said Chapter Board member Jo-Ann Golec. “It was an awesome sight.”

Quilters contributed two-foot square panels illustrating the personal stories of people whose lives are or have been touched by Parkinson’s. You can view the quilt online at www.pdf.org/quilt

Sign Parkinson’s Pledge

The most signigicant initiative to come out of the WPC is the Global Parkinson’s Pledge “to make Parkinson’s a priority health, social and economic issue around the world, and to advance the cure.” Organizers hope to have one million people sign the Pledge by the next WPC in October 2013 in Montreal, Canada. Show your support by adding your signature online at www.parkinsonspledge.org

“The more names we gather on the pledge, the bigger the message will be regarding how many people are affected by this disease and the quicker we’ll draw attention to our need to offer better care for patients and to find a cure, said Dr. Stanley Fahn, President of the WPC.