An interview with Gary Gosselin The Resolve Band: INTENT and Perseverance
Biography
I live in Alton, New Hampshire, with my wife, Gayle, and our two black labs. I’m a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. For 28 years, I have co-owned The Hearthside Group, a hospitality brokerage firm working primarily in Vermont and New Hampshire, helping clients buy, operate, and sell inns, lodges, and destination properties. I officially retired in January 2024, though I continue to maintain my real estate broker’s licenses in both states.
My professional life revolved around helping people navigate major life transitions — buying or selling a property, pursuing a dream, or finding a new direction. When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2020, I drew on those same skills — empathy, problem-solving, and perseverance — to navigate my own new chapter.
Those lessons became the foundation for The Resolve Band™, a simple idea that started as a personal reminder to live with Perseverance and INTENT and has since grown into a community effort connecting patients, caregivers, clinicians, and advocates across the count
Can you tell me more about your advocacy?
My advocacy began with gratitude, but its roots go back to my diagnosis in May 2020. In those early months, I had no idea what to expect — only that I needed something to hold on to.
The word Perseverance — and its definition:
“To carry on in a course of action, even in the face of difficulty,
with little or no evidence of success.”
— became my touchstone. It sat on my desk and was in my thoughts every day. It reminded me to keep moving forward through doctor visits, drug trials, and all the uncertainty that comes with Parkinson’s.
Then, in March 2024, I joined Parkinson Voice Project’s SPEAK OUT!® program and was introduced to the concept of INTENT — to speak and live with focus and purpose. It immediately connected with everything I’d already been living. Perseverance had kept me steady; INTENT gave me direction.
Those two words — Perseverance and INTENT — came together naturally. I combined them as a way to thank the doctors, therapists, and friends who had helped me through those first four years, and from that, The Resolve Band™ was born. It started as a personal reminder but soon became a shared message of gratitude, connection, and community.
I first shared The Resolve Band™ with The Middle Years Group at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston during a Zoom presentation in early 2024. That presentation — what I called the “Band-Aid Concept” — explored whether something as small as a wristband could serve as an emotional band-aid for Parkinson’s: a simple reminder that connection and gratitude can help heal. It was the first time I explained how Perseverance and INTENT had shaped my outlook and recovery. I wasn’t there to promote anything; I simply wanted to thank the people who had guided me and to share what had worked for me.
What began as a few words about gratitude and resilience unexpectedly resonated. People wanted to talk about the band, the words, and how something so small could mean so much. That moment showed me that connection itself could be a form of therapy — that something tangible, when shared with meaning, could lift both the giver and the receiver.
A few months later, the story of The Resolve Band™ and the philosophy behind it were featured in BIDMC’s Spotlight newsletter, in an article titled “Is There a Band-Aid for Parkinson’s?” The piece reached thousands of clinicians, researchers, and staff across the medical center. It was humbling to see the project framed through their eyes — not as a product, but as a shared act of hope and community.
Since then, members of the BIDMC neurology team, including Clinical Research Coordinator Jackie Forbes, have distributed both English and Spanish versions of the bands to patients and caregivers. That exposure expanded the reach of The Resolve Band™ far beyond my own circle and proved something I’ve believed from the start: when gratitude is shared, it multiplies.
More than 300 Resolve Bands™ have now been shared throughout the Parkinson’s community. Clinicians at BIDMC and Northeast Rehabilitation Hospitals in Massachusetts and New Hampshire distribute both English and Spanish versions to patients and caregivers. Volunteers from the Parkinson Voice Project (PVP) also share them with their network of SPEAK OUT!® participants and volunteers.
As the Lead Advocate for New Hampshire at the Parkinson’s Policy Forum, I brought the bands to Capitol Hill in September 2025, where both Senator Maggie Hassan and Congressman Chris Pappas wore them. The unified message behind every band is simple and powerful: You are not alone.
What is your passion, and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
My passion is connection — helping people find strength in community. Through my work with SPEAK OUT!® therapy at PVP, I learned to Speak and Live with INTENT. That phrase — paired with Perseverance — became my touchstone. Together, they remind me to move forward with purpose and heart every day.
That mindset grew into the Resolve Band™ project — and ultimately into the abstract I’ve submitted for the World Parkinson Congress (WPC) 2026 in Phoenix, describing how one small idea became a shared voice for patients, caregivers, and clinicians.
What effect can your advocacy have on an individual with Parkinson’s?
People tell me the bands give them strength — something tangible they can hold when days are tough. One person wrote, “When I look at my band, I feel like someone gets it. I’m not in this alone.”
That’s the point. A small reminder can carry enormous meaning. INTENT and Perseverance are daily choices — and seeing those words every day helps people keep going.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your advocacy?
My goal is to see the Resolve Band™ become a replicable community model — one that connects newly diagnosed individuals to care teams, research opportunities, and peer support. I also want to continue collaborating with MJFF, APDA, and PVP to unite patients, clinicians, and policymakers under one message: You are not alone.
What events do you participate in?
I served as Lead Advocate representing New Hampshire at the Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., co-sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA).
I also participated in the first New Hampshire Seacoast Parkinson’s Expo in Portsmouth, where I manned a booth and offered Resolve Bands™ to attendees. I’ve submitted an abstract for the World Parkinson Congress (WPC) 2026 in Phoenix and plan to attend regardless of the outcome.
Locally, I take part in two Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital support groups — one in-person in Portsmouth, NH, and another online in Massachusetts — and I also participate remotely in The Middle Years Group at BIDMC in Boston.
How does this assist caregivers?
Caregivers are often the quiet heroes. When I hand them a Resolve Band™, it’s my way of saying, “I see you.” It acknowledges their patience, compassion, and endurance — and reminds them they’re part of this journey too.
How can someone get in touch?
Website: www.resolveband.com
Email: gbgosselin@gmail.com
How can others also become advocates for awareness?
Start by sharing your own story. You don’t need a stage — just honesty and heart. Advocacy begins when you show someone else they’re not alone.
Are you happy and content in your life?
Yes. My mantra for years has been: Faith, Love, Health, Joy, Wisdom (in that order). These five things have been important to me, and I strive every day to achieve them — now with INTENT and Perseverance.
In your opinion, what is the key to effective advocacy?
For me, it’s honesty. I’m not a polished public speaker — I just speak about what I know and feel. It helps me, and I believe it helps the people I’m talking with. Real connection matters more than presentation.
How can we better fundraise to support a cure for Parkinson’s?
By putting faces to the mission. When research and fundraising are connected to real people and stories, it inspires giving from the heart. Every small act counts.
What other activities do you undertake to support your daily living?
I hike Mt. Major in Alton several times a week. Staying physically active — along with my ongoing SPEAK OUT!® therapy through PVP — keeps me centered and strong. Movement, voice, and community are the pillars that sustain me.
Why should people who don’t have Parkinson’s care about this?
Because Parkinson’s is one of the fastest-growing neurological diseases in the world. Awareness and early action help shape better care, more research, and a stronger future for everyone.
Have you had any family members affected by Parkinson’s?
No, I’m the first in my family. But through this journey, I’ve gained an extended family — a community of people bound together by resilience and hope.
If you had one final statement or quote to leave with the Parkinson’s community, what would it be?
“Live with Perseverance. Speak with INTENT. And never forget — you are not alone.”
If you had one song that would tell us more about you or represent your life, which song would it be?
“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey — because that’s precisely what I intend to do.
___________________________________________
TogetherForSharon® In memory of my mother, Sharon to voice awareness & hope for a Parkinson’s Disease cure. Sharon’s Son, George