ON THE COMMUNITY
“HOPE KEEPS US GOING”
BY ALLISON BOILES
W
hile standing in the
middle of New York
City’s bustling Grand
Central Terminal, Carol
Case came to a realization. “We’re going to
take lemons and make lemonade and we’re
going to make a difference.”
The year was 2007. Months earlier, Carol’s
husband, Ira Lieberman, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) — an
unexpected turn of events for the couple,
whose fruitful careers and grandchildren
had previously kept them busy.
The Michael J. Fox Foundation soon
became a vital source of information for
Carol and the Case/Lieberman family. As
she and Ira contemplated life changes for
their retirement, such as moving to a
warmer climate, they were encouraged by
their friend and MJFF Board member Ed
Levy to get involved in the Parkinson’s
community.
So when the couple moved cross-country to
start a new life in San Diego, Carol immediately took action to increase awareness of
PD. “After Ira’s diagnosis, I didn’t feel like it
was the end of the world — I didn’t want
him to feel that either. There was someone
out there fighting. That made a huge
difference to me.”
Carol’s goal was to spread the support she
felt from MJFF to others in the PD
community. She also kn ]