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5-10 Years


                   

 It’s been almost eight years since I heard those four words…you have Parkinson’s disease. Back then, I heard doctors and researchers say that there was more research being done than ever before and they were hoping for a breakthrough treatment in the next 5-10 years.  Well, that 5-10 years seems to get pushed down the road a lot.  At first, I was encouraged but it gets harder and harder to hear it.  One of the issues with having a lot of friends with Parkinson’s is that you lose a lot of friends with Parkinson’s. Not all of them have 5-10 years.  Especially on the tough days, we hang on to the slightest sliver of hope that some clinical trial is going to show significant positive results in stopping the disease or even maybe reversing it.  Even when a trial shows some good results, it takes many years to get through the clinical trial process and get through the FDA approval.  

As a person with PD, I understand and appreciate the need for stringent rules, so no one is harmed by an experimental treatment.  At the same time, as a person with PD, I wish we could fast track trials because people are running out of time, especially those with faster progressing illnesses like CBD, MSA and PSP.  

I am hoping and praying that the president signs the National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act and that it won’t take 5-10 years to get some solid funding to get us some answers. 

 

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