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.
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