This Giving Tuesday, December 3, 2024, we ask that you support our 501(c)3 nonprofit Yes, And...eXercise! and help us redefine Parkinson’s disease (PD). Beyond the physical symptoms, PD affects emotional, cognitive, and psychosocial well-being. Recent evidence is finally giving voice to the people with and affected by PD so we can rethink the way treatment and support for the PD community are delivered. Our innovative, evidence-based programs empower individuals to reclaim their lives and voices through creativity, connection, and community. We are helping to reshape the foundations support, advocacy and quality of life.
Our storytelling program, rooted in Cinema Therapy and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey, transforms participants’ perspectives. Participants work directly with program creator, Robert Cochrane, PhD, as they explore and rewrite their personal narratives through the lens of films like The Shawshank Redemption, Inside Out, and Field of Dreams. “I am much better prepared to stare down fear and get on with my life, changed though it may be,” participant Venetia Bradfield said.
“I went from just telling my story to having confidence that my story makes a difference and that it matters,” BJ Bement said. “It has added energy to my advocacy and has taught me new ways to reach people, broaden my perspective and experience joy in areas where it didn’t exist.”
The Jam for Joy improv program brings joy, laughter, and connection to people with PD, their care partners, and medical staff. As Doris Martin noted, “Yes, And…eXercise is such fun: we dance, play improv games, and laugh a lot. Imagine my surprise when this fun writing class compelled me to give voice to 12 years of pent-up indignities and frustrations with PD.”
This Giving Tuesday, help us continue this vital work. Your donation fuels programs that don’t just treat symptoms but transform lives and reshape the perception and treatment of the fastest growing neurological disease in the world. Together, we can empower individuals to rewrite their stories, educate and direct research, and build communities of courage and action. Join us in this movement to turn challenges into victories and isolation into hope.
Click here to donate.
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