I have known Shirley for at least thirty years. Her daughter and mine grew up in school together. Although we knew each other, we didn't really socialize with each other.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2011, I longed to just talk with someone who knew exactly how I felt, , and what I was going through. I had heard about a Shirley having Parkinson's within the neighborhood, so I called her. A sisterhood, not just a friendship, blossomed from that very day.
We depend on each other in a way that most people could not understand . I love you Shirley Johnson, and thank you for being my friend!
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today. The Foundation is the world's largest nonprofit funder of Parkinson's research, with more than $2 billion in high-impact research funded to date.
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