In September, our co-founders Bonnie and Derek Bandeen traveled to Washington, D.C. to join more than 250 Parkinson’s advocates from 45 states at the 2025 Parkinson’s Policy Forum. This remarkable nonpartisan event, sponsored by The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF), the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA), the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA), the Parkinson’s Foundation and the Parkinson’s & Movement Disorder (PMD) Alliance, was the first in-person Parkinson’s Capitol Hill advocacy day in six years. Bringing together dozens of patients, families, care partners, researchers and clinicians, Forum participants pushed for critical federal action on Parkinson’s disease, the fastest-growing neurological disease in the world. Alongside other changemakers, Bonnie and Derek met with lawmakers to advocate for three priorities:
- To increase federal research funding for PD to $600 million annually by 2028
- To implement and fund the National Parkinson’s Project, the first-ever federal initiative to better diagnose, treat, prevent, and cure Parkinson’s
- To ban the herbicide paraquat, which has been scientifically linked to increased Parkinson’s risk and is already banned in 70 countries
“It was a busy and exciting week,” shared Bonnie upon her return from the Forum. “How incredible to be part of this effort.”
