Celebrities continue to support this cause—yet Mr. Chevy Chase declined, which was unexpected.
I feel we need everyone in this fight toward a Parkinson’s cure. For me, it’s incredibly difficult to reach many of the individuals whose voices could truly help raise awareness.
Recently, I discovered a platform called Cameo, where you can sometimes reach out to people—from actors and musicians to athletes—for short messages. While most people use it for birthday wishes, anniversaries, and fun personal videos, I try to use it to gather messages of hope for Parkinson’s awareness.
My hope is to reach more people through their support. So many incredible individuals have stepped forward to help this movement—because why wouldn’t someone want to support the fight for a cure? The message is urgent, and we need every voice we can reach. The challenge with advocacy is that we’re always trying to speak to the world with very limited time and space. On Cameo, you only get a few sentences to explain the importance of Parkinson’s awareness.
Over the years, I’ve received so many inspiring messages from people who stood with this cause—truly uplifting moments. See https://togetherforsharon.com/pd-warriors-celebrities/
This time, I hoped that securing a message from a legendary figure for the holiday season would bring smiles and hope to the Parkinson’s community. Unfortunately, my request to Chevy Chase was declined—the first time I’ve ever experienced something like that. It was surprising and disappointing, especially during a season when joy and kindness mean so much.
To be fair, I don’t know the reason. It could have been a misunderstanding, a scheduling issue, or something his management handled without fully grasping the purpose. I want to give the benefit of the doubt, because I truly believe most people care deeply when they understand the mission.
Even so, it was disheartening to lose an opportunity for awareness and a few holiday smiles. I mentioned that I lost my mother to Parkinson’s and that I’m still grieving, hoping the message might help others in her honor—but the request was declined.
We may never know why, and we may never reach him. But what I do know is that 99.9% of people I contact truly do care and eagerly support this beautiful community. So, we keep moving forward, always remembering the people we fight for, always grateful for every voice that joins us, and always committed to spreading hope.
