PAULA WITTEKIND
1950 - 2012
A Tribute to Paula
Paula Wittekind was a dedicated and tenacious
Parkinsons advocate, and also a great friend.
Everyone who came to know Paula came to love her.
She had a great sense of humor and genuine concern
for others and a knack for getting people involved and
working together for a common goal - defeating PD.
Paula was a part of the Genesis of the patient
advocate movement in Parkinson's. She developed her
voice from a whisper to a roar. In the process, she
always told the truth even when people didn't want to
hear it. ( See the last piece that she wrote for the
Parkinson's Movement Newsletter this fall.) In spite of
speaking out on unpopular topics, she had the ability
to laugh a lot -- everything would lighten up when she
would enter a room or a meeting. Her enthusiasm
sometimes got her into trouble, but it was well meant
and it often opened doors for others.
Among her many contributions were: Serving as a
PAN state coordinator (Florida) for many years, and
creating, editing and writing for the Grassroots Connection website. She was one of the most active
members and a thought leader on BrainTalk, and later
Neurotalk Forums. She worked on projects to ensure
that patient input becomes a vital asset in PD research
and the clinical trial process, and she was a leader of
patient efforts to reinstate GDNF clinical trials.
Most recently she focused her energies on working
with an international group of PWP on a forthcoming
patient oriented book about PD - The Neurowriters
guide to the Peripatetic Pursuit of Parkinson Disease.
Her work on the book project got us started.
She charted the original table of contents
and helped develop the parameters of the book.
She lives on in every page.
The Parkinsons community has lost one of our
strongest and most effective activists, and more
significantly, we have lost a cherished friend. .
She will be deeply missed but not forgotten.
Rest in peace Paula.
