I admire people that I meet along the way who, when faced with adversity, make their life and the lives of others better by turning their problems into a cure so that others may not have to deal with the same “lemons”.
Bob Preston is like that. Bob, already a Back Cove 33 owner, came to me at a show a few years back and said that he wanted to purchase a Back Cove 37 but really needed to have a way to stow a dinghy on the transom of the boat so that he could keep his access to the transom door. He went on to explain that he was going to be facing “some mobility issues” in the near future. My father contracted Parkinson’s Disease when he was 55 and lived with Parkinson’s for a very long time after that. I know the difficulties that PD patients face, I recognize the signs and the symptoms. So it is that I asked Bob if he was suffering from PD and told him that I had a lot of personal experience. Once that bond had been made we were off and running.
Bob has set off on his very own voyage for a cure. While he is at it, he is fund raising for the Parkinson’s Society. Last summer he left his homeport in Rhode Island and headed East as far as the Maine port of Eastport. He then did an about face and began the southerly cruise of a lifetime from Eastport to Key West. We spoke yesterday and they were tied up in Georgetown, South Carolina. The trip has been a dream and everything has gone very well. Bob and crew are having a blast.
When I asked how his fund raising is going he replied that he has raised $70,000.00 to date. That’s an amazing feat and an even better piece of news is that one of Michael J Fox’s supporters has agreed to match dollar for dollar everything that Bob raises.
If you want to follow the cruise and the cause you can “Friend” Bob Preston Cure PD on Facebook. Bob has made a lot of lemonade since he was diagnosed. My hat is off to him.
