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2700 SW Freeway #296 • Houston, TX 77098 • ph 713-626-7114 • fax 713-521-3964 • www.hapsonline.org • [email protected] FEBRUARY 2015 Letter from the President in this issue As we begin our 41st year of serving the Parkinson community, I look back on 2014 with great pride on what we as the HAPS family accomplished together. HAPS had a banner year in 2014 as Welcome New HAPS Board 2-3 th Members we launched our 40 anniversary celebration. We continued the HAPS mission, established four defining decades ago, and Upcoming Educational Programs 3 furthered it boldly in 2014, experiencing many noteworthy successes. The list of achievements and milestones is long and New Parkinson’s Medications 4 could easily fill this space and beyond, but I will just list a few: HAPS Exercise & Support Insert Group Schedule Over 42,000 service hours were provided Nearly 2,000 exercise and support groups were presented Marathon Review 5 3,500 households received our monthly newsletter Welcomed the clients and members of Parkinson Foundation of Harris County Foundation and Corporate 6 into our organization Support Continued to expand the reach of our services to meet the growing number 2015 PAN Forum 6 of additional clients and their families Launched our innovative Parkinson’s Enrichment Program Contributions and Tributes 7 Honored 40 years of HAPS history Our mission continues to be one of service and we describe our goal as seeking to “change the face of Parkinson’s.” In fact, we are accomplishing that every day by providing innovative programs and comprehensive services that include education, advocacy, therapeutic exercise and support groups, enrichment programs, Mark your calendars 2015 HAPS Annual transportation, information and referral, case management, subsidized respite care Educational and emergency financial aid. These efforts address not only the needs of the Symposium individual with Parkinson’s, but the needs of caregivers and family members, too. Saturday, May 2nd And we do all of this free of charge. As we take pride in our successes, we should recognize that these accomplishments are a result of the commitment of three groups. First, our talented and dedicated staff is second to none. With limited resources, they perform the hard labor day in and day out, keeping the programs running smoothly and efficiently. Second, with great energy and enthusiasm, our Board of Directors, Board of Advisors and Medical Advisory Board provide the leadership and inspiration to continue to move the organization forward. Finally, the foundations, corporations and individuals like you This publication is not intended to provide diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the who support and fund our mission, make all our efforts possible. advice of your physician or pharmacist with questions regarding medical It is a great privilege to be the President of HAPS and be a part of such a fine conditions or drug interactions. organization that does so much for so many. Join me as we continue our work to To request permission to reprint content improve the lives of those affected by this disease. published in this newsletter, please contact the HAPS office at 713-626-7114 or [email protected]. HAPS Welcomes New Board Members Board of Directors Joseph Y. “Joe” Ahmad is a partner in the Houston law firm of Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., and is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law. He primarily represents executives in employment-related litigation, including trade secret and non-compete cases. Joe has been recognized nationally as one of the best lawyers in his field and was elected to the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates. He has been selected by his peers since 2003 as one of the "Best Lawyers in America" and was named "2015 Lawyer of the Year" in the Employment-Individual category in Houston. Joe has also been named to the Texas Super Lawyers list, the Texas Super Lawyers Top 100 in Houston since 2006, and the Texas Super Lawyers Top 100 in Texas every year but one since 2006. He and his wife, Hala, have twins. Denise Bishop is the Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services. Her previous experience includes more than 20 years of Houston news at News 92FM, Fox 26 Television and KTRH Radio, and seven years as the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing for the American Red Cross in Houston. Her career highlights include launching an all-news radio station, creating FOX 26’s first morning newscast and sports shows, and assembling the largest investigative reporting unit at that time in Houston television, which won numerous Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. Denise attended Loyola University in New Orleans and graduated from the University of Florida. She is married to Bill Bishop who works for KHOU-TV and they have two sons. Philip Francis is the Managing Principal for his commercial real estate consulting firm, Francis Advisors, LLC. He attended St. John’s School and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2003. Philip also studied at Oxford University in Oxford, England and Fundación José Ortega y Gasset in Madrid, Spain. He has been aware of Houston Area Parkinson Society through his uncle and HAPS Board President, Mike Hendryx, and Godmother and HAPS Board Member, Leslye Weaver. Philip and his wife, Hilary, have been members of the Young Professional Host Committee for HAPS Annual Awards Events since in 2011. He has also been active in community service with board leadership and volunteer roles for numerous nonprofits. Philip and Hilary have three children—a three-year old child and one-year old twins. Daphne Haskin is an Accounting Supervisor for Occidental Petroleum Corporation and graduated from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. She is also a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Texas and Louisiana. Motivated by her father’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in his early 30’s, Daphne helped establish the Lake Charles based National Parkinson Foundation Southwest Louisiana & Southeast Texas in 2000 and served as the Treasurer for several years. She currently serves on the board in an advisory capacity. Although her father passed away in 2012, Daphne’s family is still actively involved in raising awareness for Parkinson’s. Daphne and her husband, Dennis, reside in Pearland with their children, Dennis, Jr. and Kennedy. Erick Sandlin is a litigation associate with the law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP. He was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas. Erick earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University. He also earned a Certificate in International Affairs from the Bush School of Government and a Juris Doctor from Baylor University, where he served as Editor-In-Chief of the Baylor Law Review. Prior to joining Bracewell & Giuliani, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Priscilla Owen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Erick is also an artist, focusing on contemporary abstract paintings using spray paint, which he shows in galleries around Houston. In 2014, he raised funding through his art for HAPS at an event inspired by his father who has Parkinson’s. Erick attends Ecclesia Church and lives in the Heights. 2 | HOUSTON AREA PARKINSON SOCIETY Board of Advisors Greg Groogan is the Special Projects Reporter for Fox 26 Television. He graduated from the University of Texas Plan II Honors Program and broke into the television business immediately thereafter. Greg has received more than 150 journalism awards, including 26 Lone Star Emmy Awards. In 2010, the National Education Writers Association awarded Greg its first prize for beat reporting and the Houston Press Club honored him as Television Journalist of the Year in both 2010 and 2013. In addition to his numerous television and reporting honors, Greg is involved with various nonprofit groups. He has a number of close friends who live with Parkinson’s as well as a family member who was recently diagnosed. Greg is married to former FOX 26 reporter, Michelle Casas, and they have two children, Hannah and Garrett. Join PDF for PD ExpertBriefing More Than Meets the Eye: Vision Symptoms of PD Parkinson’s Disease Foundation hosts their latest PD ExpertBriefing which you can join online or by phone Tuesday, March 3, 2015, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST Presented by Daniel Gold, D.O., Assistant Professor of Neurology and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine To register, contact PDF at pdf.org or 1-800-457-6676 This series has been made possible by an educational grant from AbbVie Inc. and was designed in collaboration with HAPS, Michigan Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson Association of the Carolinas and Parkinson Association of the Rockies Newly Diagnosed Education Program DBS Discussion Program For those who have been diagnosed with Join the discussion and learn more about Parkinson’s disease within the last three years Deep Brain Stimulation as a treatment option for Parkinson’s disease st Saturday, February 21 Wednesday, March 4th 8:30 am - 12:30 pm 6:15 pm - 7:30 pm First Colony Library Presented by 2121 Austin Parkway Sugar Land, TX 77479 Dr. Erin Furr-Stimming Presented by Dr. Richard Simpson Registration is required. Dr. Shahin Shirzadi Contact the HAPS office for more information at 713-626-7114 or [email protected] To register for this event, contact Todd Hewgley at 281-782-2937 or [email protected] FEBRUARY 2015 HAPS HAPPENINGS | 3 FDA Announces two new Parkinson’s treatment options 2015 is off to an exciting start with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcing the approval of two new Parkinson’s treatment options—DUOPATM and RYTARYTM. DUOPA™, developed by AbbVie, Inc., is a new approach to the delivery of carbidopa and levodopa as a treatment of motor fluctuations in people with advanced Parkinson’s disease.