Page created by: The Romero Family

Dear Friends,
Last year, Dad was in a rehabilitation hospital after a really bad fall. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2012, he had been living with a degenerative disease that took so much from him, including his ability to walk and even communicate. In the hospital he looked at me, unable to create a sentence, but mumbled, "Parkinson's" and "write a letter." I knew what he meant. He meant we need to do something about it.

Lawrence Romero was a man of great faith who gave everything he had to help his community. He served in law enforcement for 44 years and ended his career in public service as a county commissioner. He truly loved people, and helped everyone he could. He had an incredible sense of humor, and he always wanted to make everyone laugh. He took personal tragedy and pain and used it to help others facing their own loss and grief. After giving so much of himself, we were looking forward to a retirement in which he could finally relax and enjoy his landscaping, build his Bible study and travel. Parkinson's had other plans.

My father suffered through complications of type 2 diabetes, but he always complained about his Parkinson's, not just for himself but for others living with it. We don't want anyone to have to live with this disease and watch it steal their plans, their dreams and their freedom. My father was larger than life. He was strong both in body and spirit, and although Parkinson's never broke him, it did steal him away from us, slowly and insidiously.

Now that my father is finally free of disease, I refuse to let Parkinson's steal him away any longer. We choose to remember the Lawrence Romero who was full of life. Parkinson's can never take his memory away. We choose to fight back.

If you have decided to make a donation in honor of my father, on behalf of our family, I thank you. My father did not live to see a cure, but I know he wants freedom from Parkinson's for future generations. Even if you don't make a contribution, we encourage you to write that letter. Share my father's story, share your own story, and spread awareness. Join us as we remember my father's strength and compassion and join us as we fight back.

Sincerely,
Lawren McConnell