“You have within you the strength, the patience, the passion …to change the world.” Harriet Tubman
I often think of my Parkinsons journey as a great odyssey undergoing a complete transformation akin to the metamorphosis experienced by caterpillars in their cycle to become a butterfly. And as the blue butterfly is an ever present symbol of my voyage, I am reminded how these beautiful creatures although they may shine bright in the light with its beautiful iridescent turquoise colors on close inspection they lack actual pigmentation. Their beauty and strength comes from the tiny scales (like a protective armor) that covers their large wings and bounce off the sunlight reflecting the blue color. The Parkinson’s community like these beautiful blue morphs may seem ordinary on close inspection yet their armor shaped by the life experiences makes them stand out in the crowd glowing in a manner not unlike these beautiful insects whose brilliance can be detected even from space. They are light and inspiration to those around them and just like these insects they too serve as pollinators. Although most people think of bees as the worlds largest pollinators there are other insects as well as birds that aid in this process. butterflies being one of these insects involved in the process although not as efficient as bees because they carry smaller amounts of pollen at a time their persistence and perseverance (similar to the Parkinson’s patient leaders) helps to propagate the pollen making it a vital link in cross pollination of species.
the 6th Parkinson Congress taking place in Barcelona July of 2023 will serve as a field that will facilitate diverse individuals from the Parkinson’s community to gather and share knowledge that will eventually result in new innovative solutions that will help the Parkinson’s community flourish and give birth to new ideas akin to cross pollination in nature. Because of this my friend Dr. Claudia Martinez ( admirer of the monarch butterfly) and Gregory Pearce instructor of art at MAPC have created a beautiful drawing to depict the wpc2023 theme titled the “pollinators of change “ which you will see below which can be copied or printed to color as you wish and sent to Ruby.rendon@dignityheath.org. the collective work like the one made for 5th WPC in Kyoto will be exhibited in Barcelona representing the Hispanic community.
Even though my books and quilt pattern honoring my grandmother have been present in some fashion or another since the 2nd congress which took part in Scotland this will be my first time to attend in person. And my excitement is mounting especially since it will be the first time the wpc will take place in a Spanish speaking country. As the Hispanic Parkinson’s community, which I proudly represent, has begun to grow in number and leadership I am looking forward to partake in this exchange of knowledge and ideas to help create solutions to the obstacles faced in living treating, and caring for Parkinson’s, especially in underserved and underrepresented communities around the globe.
Because pollination and cross pollination is not a passive process change must occur first at the individual level. After all, the actions of a single person can lead to a ‘butterfly effect’ resulting in a wide array of solutions to today’s problems as well as help launch new hypothesis to solve tomorrow’s challenges.
In the end the gathering of vibrant and brilliant pollinators will lead to increase in diversity helping to create beauty wherever they go. After all, we don’t have to look the same, speak the same language, or think the same to be United in a single path of HOPE with a single dream ..find a cure to PD!
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All rights reserved by Maria De Leon (Parkinson’s Diva)