Link to video above
On April 2nd at 8am PT, Heather collaborated with other members of the Parkinson’s community at the The Victory Summit® Virtual Event of 2022, Our Voices, Our Stories.
Heather is also the founder of Kathleen Kiddo, an advocacy site offering resources and connection through her writing and vlogs. An entertaining speaker known for her unique talks and film presentations about living with Parkinson’s, Heather writes from her home in the SF Bay Area. Since her diagnosis in 2011, she has collaborated with organizations such as the Davis Phinney Foundation, Brian Grant Foundation, Parkinson’s Life, and The World Parkinson Coalition. In April 2021, Heather received Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery.
As a member of the Parkinson’s community Heather is intimately familiar with the unique and varied issues Parkinson’s patients face. She has experience working with many other members of the Parkinson’s community, as well as people dealing with MS, MSA, ALS, and ataxia.
To book a speaking engagement or for more information, email her at kathleenkiddo@gmail.com.
For me, Parkinson's advocacy is not business. It's personal. Very personal.
In the last few months, I've pulled back from public advocacy and focusing my time and energy differently. Doing this has validated something I often suspect but don't want to believe: getting offline gives you an instant vacation from pretense, politics, optics. Everyone and everything not rooted in authenticity and integrity falls away.
I'm looking for mutuality, authenticity, and heightened awareness. Parkinson's symptoms are misunderstood on a near-universal scale, especially if the disease shows its face early. I find this searingly painful at a personal level and tragic for absolutely everyone.
People who have been internationally famous athletes or entertainers (for example) echo these sentiments. Steadfast fans who love-bombed them when they were at the height of their career disappeared after their diagnosis when it became clear that they were not in fact gods or saviors, but humans with the same frailties and vulnerabilities we all share.
Social media can be a powerful vehicle for elevating and bringing awareness to topics that are rarely, or more often never, discussed. But it can also be a means of unnecessary distraction and misinformation. Taking a break from most social media platforms has given me space to offer support that is more focused, efficient and authentic. I have focused on a couple of passion projects: creating vlogs as part of my YouTube video library, and as a VJ with Two Mikes Radio Show, part of the Radio Parkie Network.
Stay tuned....