A journey across America’s heartland, meeting Parkinson’s Face-to-Face, to raise awareness regarding Parkinson’s disease, to inspire hope for better lives for those affected by Parkinson’s and to record our adventure for the benefit of the Parkinson’s Foundation and those it serves.
We have said it before but Covid-19 kept getting in the way. The good news is that Parkinson’s Across America is a go in 2022. We are in the process of finalizing our route planning and anticipate a early summer departure date. Baring the unexpected Parkinson’s Across America will embark upon what promises to be the most amazing Parkinson’s awareness journey ever recorded. As is often the case in life there is a silver lining associated with the unexpected. We had hoped to depart in 2020 however the extra time since has allowed us to establish a lineup of individuals, organizations and corporations that have made the documentary better than ever. A great big thanks to each of our sponsors who have remained loyal PAA team members from the beginning. There are a few sponsorship spots available. If you would like your company or organization to be a part of this groundbreaking project please contact us for details. In the meantime please check out our PAA merchandise on this site. You can be a part of the excitement by wearing PAA merchandise in your city!
Scott Rider and Jim Morgan are two ordinary but extraordinarily passionate guys who have Parkinson’s disease. They will be embarking upon a cross-country, motorcoach adventure in 2021 to provide the world with an educational yet personal look into what life is like with Parkinson’s disease. “We want to take the Parkinson’s Foundation’s initiative to “begin the conversation” about Parkinson’s disease to people who are living with and/or are making a difference in the lives of people living with Parkinson’s.” They will be stopping along the way to hear these stories and interview the people making a difference in the Parkinson’s community. They’ll also be shining a spotlight on the Parkinson’s Foundation’s Centers of Excellence and taking a look at the programs being funded in local communities through Moving Days across the country. They will be recording their encounters and creating a “travelogue” that will be able to be broadcast as an ongoing series or a single documentary. Their progress will be tracked in real time on social media.
Scott and Jim are also collaborating with Barry Blaustein. Barry is an American comedy writer best known for his writing on Saturday Night Live and the screenplays for Coming to America and The Nutty Professor. Barry also wrote, directed, produced and narrated the wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat. With Barry’s expertise and creative talents, Scott and Jim plan to produce a documentary from the tour that they will use to raise funds for the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Every year, 60,000 people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in the United States. Affecting one million Americans and ten million people worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurological disease after Alzheimer’s disease. It is also the 14th leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest, stiffness and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, and difficulty sleeping). 90% of the people in the U.S. with Parkinson’s disease receive inadequate medical care, which is a problem because people with Parkinson’s can live for decades with the disease.
Scott and Jim plan to depart in late April 2021 and make many stops along the journey. They will meet with care partners, physicians, exercise experts, nutritionists, researchers and clinicians who are trying to find a cure. But in the meantime, they are helping people with Parksinson’s disease live better lives.
Parkinson’s Across America—It will be a journey across America’s heartland, meeting Parkinson’s face-to-face. It will be a journey of a lifetime!