Young Onset Parkinson's Disease Conference and Awareness Walk

YOPA and APDA are joining forces for a co-sponsored Parkinson's disease awareness conference and walk in Albuquerque NM. The first annual event will coincide with the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta on Oct. 10-12. FOr more details visit www.youngparkinsons.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    
                
CONTACT INFO:                    
Tom Berdine, President and Founder, Albuquerque, NM, Phone: 505-293-5612, tomberdine@yopa.org
Greg Sterling, Public Relations Officer, Hermitage, PA, Phone: 724-734-6237, gsterling@yopa.org
                                            
                                                                                                
                                                                                
Two young onset Parkinson's disease support groups join forces to heighten awareness of the growing number of people under 50 falling victim to Parkinson's by presenting the

1st Annual Southwest Regional Young Onset Parkinson's Disease Conference

&

1st Annual Young Onset Parkinson's Disease Awareness Walk

Albuquerque, NM, USA - The Young Onset Parkinson's Association (YOPA), a newly formed Parkinson's support organization headquartered in Albuquerque, has joined forces with the New Mexico Chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association (APDA) in presenting the First Annual Southwest Regional Parkinson's
Disease Conference and First Annual Young Onset Parkinson's Disease Awareness Walk, to be held October 11-12, 2002.

YOPA President and Founder Tom Berdine, of Albuquerque said, "This ushers in a new era of cooperation among PD organizations nationwide. In order to be effective all the various organizations need to combine their strengths
and move toward one common goal, which is to make Parkinson's disease a memory. The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is the perfect background to symbolize the rising hope of all Parkinson's sufferers that a cure is close at
hand."

The mission of YOPA is to educate the public and elected officials on issues pertaining to Parkinson's disease, with emphasis on those issues that impact patients diagnosed before the age of fifty. Ultimately YOPA would like to
ensure that a young onset representative is present at all Parkinson's related forums and events across the country.

Susan Reese, Coordinator, APDA National Young Onset Information and Referral Centers,stated,"We hope that this joint venture will be a prototype for regional conferences throughout the country. The APDA Young Onset Information and Referral Center provides education and support to the younger PD population and evelops resources to meet the challenge of this disease. Together we will work to ' Ease the burden and find the cure' ."