Some Major Milestones
By David Iverson on March 5, 2008 8:00 AM
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Contributed by Michael Schwarz:
Last month's launch of this preview web site for our Parkinson's documentary marked a major milestone in this project. Dave and I started discussing this idea nearly two years ago, but it's always a long road from those first conversations to the actual broadcast of a program -- even though in this case, we got funding pretty quickly from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, FRONTLINE, and the Independent Television Service (ITVS).
One of the ideas that has excited us from the beginning -- and that differentiates what we are doing from a typical television documentary -- is finding a way to take advantage of the fact that many people seek out health-related information on the web. Given the timeliness of much of our material, we thought it would be interesting to experiment with distributing content we gather in the course of our shooting long before the documentary itself is finished. The four videos we've posted over the last month are just the beginning. In coming weeks, there will be many more.
We're also working with organizations active in the Parkinson's field to reach new audiences. The
Michael J. Fox Foundation recently posted a link to our site on its home page, and in the weeks ahead we expect our online network of partners to grow.
Today marks yet another milestone: visitors to our site can now post their own comments and suggestions about this work-in-progress -- just click on the "Comments" link at the top of any post. So stay tuned, tell your friends, and please let us know what you think. This is your forum, too.
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Hi Dave,
In June 2007 I had lower back surgery for a ruptured disc. The first three weeks after the surgery I appeared to be doing well. In the fourth week I could barely walk, every muscle in my body ached, I was so anxious I could not be left alone and barely ate. I could not take a bath on my own and could not drive. My son entered high school and my daughter had to take him to register. I missed most of his football season. In Oct. 2007 I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease by three neurologist. I now take five different medicine's. I do not recall any symptoms before the surgery. My life and my family's have been turned upside down.
My comment is I think it would be interesting to include stories that are contrast to reports saying there are early signs. I had none...I'm not conviced I have PD (or I should say I'm in denial)....Will I be on pills for the rest of my life or should I try to stop taking them? There are so many sites on the internet it's overwelming.
Looking forward to your report,
Kathy Blades
I just heard about this great thing you are doing and I think it's marvelous. I will email this out to my distribution list. I am an outreach specialist for Parkinson's disease for Wisconsin. I help people get more information about Parkinson's disease, as well as educate the community more about Parkinson's disease. I do cover all of Wisconsin and will help get this word out. I have access to two websites that I will put the information on it as well. Please let me know if you need anything
Jessica Hahn
APDA Information & Referral Center Coordinator
Thanks Jessia. We're delighted that you're excited about our project and welcome your efforts to get the word out. Since Dave has spent a lot of his life living and working in Wisconsin, it's likely that he'll be doing some outreach events there closer to the actual broadcast date. We'll post that information on this site in the near future.