The Crowd -- B.W. Cook

Today is Valentine’s Day. So what you say? To quote from the script of

the recently released film “Moulin Rouge,” written and directed by Baz

Lehrman, “Love lifts you up where you belong -- all you need is love. . .

.” No matter what problems you face today or any other day, remember

that love is ultimately the only thing that matters. If you are lucky

enough to be loved, return the emotion today in anyway that suits your

heart. Gifts are meaningless compared to the exchange of love.

How am I supposed to segue into a story about Parkinson’s disease

following that? Actually, it’s easy. Local Parkinson’s research advocate

Jim Warsaw, a man who also suffers from the disease, has as big a heart

as any human being on the planet. This husband and father, son and

brother is always first in line in the Newport-Mesa community, and

beyond, wherever his generosity can make a difference in the lives of

others. Warsaw and fellow volunteer organizers work around the clock

raising funds and awareness in search of a cure for Parkinson’s.

Warsaw called recently from Philadelphia, working in a hotel room in a

Ramada Inn holding meetings with East Coast staff members preparing to

launch Warsaw’s upcoming campaign, being called “A War On Parkinson’s”.

Working with national fund-raiser Marc Pollick, who has created a

foundation called “Giving Back,” Warsaw in conjunction with actor Michael

J. Fox and other prominent Americans afflicted with Parkinson’s including

Mohammed Ali and Janet Reno, have launched an important national program

to find the cure. Warsaw is currently working on a Newport Beach cocktail

reception to support his cause.

Several years ago, attending a Parkinson’s fund-raiser in Orange

County with Warsaw, experts expressed optimistic reports from the

scientific community that, combined with a robust national economy, were

giving Parkinson’s patients hope that a possible cure, or at least drugs

to delay the onslaught of the disease, would be forthcoming and available

within a matter of two to three years. This scientific hope went beyond

the Parkinson’s realm, also encouraging those suffering from a number of

diseases such as cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s

disease .

Three years have passed. While there is still tremendous hope, those

suffering ask the question “How long is it going to take?” More to the

point, they ask, “Will I live to see the cure?”

Warsaw is bullish. He insists that answers are on the horizon and that

the fight, and he says it is definitely a fight, to find a cure is doable

if the sectors of the scientific community, the government and private

enterprise work together with a focused and unrelenting plan. Warsaw has

given his life to the cause. He does so, of course, for his own good. In

the end, his actions will potentially help millions.

The Newport citizen is not looking for a pat on the back. He is not

looking for glory. Despite his disease, Warsaw considers himself a lucky

man. At 52, married to Ellyne and the father of two teenage sons, Warsaw

readily admits that the freedom allowing him to devote his life to the

Parkinson’s cause is the result of the business foresight of his late

father, a pioneer in the sports marketing field. The late David Warsaw

was responsible for, among other creative business successes, the

proliferation of sports logos on baseball caps. His company was sold to

Nike for a considerable sum.

Ironically, the financial freedom resulting from this success may also

be linked to the Parkinson’s that has afflicted Jim Warsaw. He confides

that as a young boy growing up in his father’s business he worked around

enormous vats of dye year after year, well into his 20s. It is possible

that the exposure to these chemicals may have triggered the disease,

Warsaw said. Scientists are uncertain.

At this point in life the reason why is not of concern Warsaw. What

matters is finding out how to cure the disease. Research doctors at major

national drug companies have been working for years on possible

solutions. The same is true for scientific teams assigned to Parkinson’s

at the National Institutes of Health, headquartered in Bethesda, Md.

In the wake of Sept. 11, it is understandable that national focus has

shifted dramatically, with government and corporate budgets, as well as

charitable giving, diminished for many causes including health related

concerns such as Parkinson’s. Therefore, the challenge is even greater

for Warsaw and so many others working for the same goals. For this

reason, Warsaw will officially declare war on Parkinson’s at an upcoming

cocktail reception in Newport Beach tentatively set for early May.

“The answers are out there,” says Warsaw adding, “With the help of

people who are committed to finding the answers, we will find the cure.”

For more information on Parkinson’s disease, or to support Warsaw’s

upcoming Newport Beach reception, call (949) 833-9181.

* THE CROWD appears Thursdays and Saturdays.