Help me fight Parkinson's Disease

Vagablogging readers might recall that I won a Lowell Thomas Award earlier this year for "Virgin Trail", my Central America travel series in Slate. Finally, the $500 award check has arrived, and I've decided to donate the full amount to Drive Around the World's fight against Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that leaves patients unable to direct or control their movements in a normal manner. Popularly considered an elderly person’s disease, it actually affects hundreds of thousands of youthful people as well (including TV actor Michael J. Fox). The disease is progressive, debilitating, and currently has no cure. There also is no preventive or restorative treatment available, although researchers believe that proper funding can bring about a cure within the next 10-15 years.

And that’s why I’m asking Vagablogging readers to match my donation in trying to find a cure for this horrible disease. From what I can tell, around 500 people read this blog each week – and if just 50 of you donate $10, then we’ve doubled my donation to the cause. Donations are tax-deductible, and a secure online donation form can be found here.

For those interested in upping the ante, anyone who donates $100 or more enters a drawing to win one of the fully outfitted Land Rover Discovery II expedition vehicles that are currently driving around the world. Because the DATW team members and many generous sponsors have paid the full cost of the expedition, 100% of donations go directly to the Parkinson’s Institute of Sunnyvale, California, and the search for a cure.

I was a member of the Drive Around the World expedition from November 2003 to February of 2004, when we drove the Land Rovers from San Francisco to the tip of South America at Tierra del Fuego. My blogs about that experience are here.

Since then, the expedition has gone on to reach Magadan, on the Pacific coast of Russia, after driving across Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Central Asia, and Siberia. So far, the team has driven more than 30,000 miles through 24 countries and shipped across two oceans. Along the way, they have driven to the southernmost city in the world in Argentina, climbed to 18,300' along the Khardung-la Pass in India, and they have become the first foreigners to drive across Myamar (formerly Burma) since 1953. Play-by-plays and photos of each of these adventures can be found in the team’s daily journal postings at www.drivearoundtheworld.com.

If you know of any publications that are interested in spreading the word about the Parkinson's cause (or the expedition in general), a full DATW press release is online (in document form only) here.