Today we highlight a supporter of PDF who has, to use a sporting phrase, “stepped up to bat and hit a home run”: Sherry Koppel, of Chicago.
Sherry is an experienced interior decorator, an energetic, vibrant lady who runs an art gallery. She has raised three children (aged 27, 24, and 12). With her husband, she plays tennis and does yoga. She is active in several local charities. And for the past two years she has been living with Parkinson’s disease.
In the wake of September 11, though deeply sympathetic with those families who were directly affected, Sherry became concerned that the outpouring of generosity toward the victims of the terrorist attack would have a negative impact on the funds made available to organizations such as PDF which support Parkinson’s research.
She took it upon herself to write a touching letter to her network of friends, family, and business associates, asking them to make a contribution to Parkinson’s research in honor and memory of the September tragedy.
To date, Sherry’s private campaign has raised more than $25,000 to support research into the causes of Parkinson’s. She is now expanding her outreach to others of her acquaintance and beyond. All proceeds will support the research program at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Chicago, a PDF center of excellence.
Sherry says that having Parkinson’s has meant learning to say no to random demands on her time and energies that might deplete those energies from her priorities. But she is determined that she will never say no to opportunities that benefit the Parkinson’s community.
