An interview with Jason and Angie Gooding, Beyond the Brochures
Biography
We are both in the field of education – Angie is a high school history teacher and Jason is a high school guidance counselor. We met in 1999 and were married in July of 2000. We have two children – a lovely young woman and a fine young man. We live in Washington state. Jason was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017 and had DBS surgery in 2022.
Can you tell me more about your Advocacy?
We are really, really new to all of this. It was our 2026 New Year’s Resolution to start a page about Jason’s journey with Parkinson’s, and so we started it January 1. So far, our advocacy has been limited to Facebook and Instagram, but we’re learning more about additional opportunities for advocacy all the time. Stay tuned!
What is your passion and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
Our passion is sharing our story, promoting hope, and being part of a community. We live in a fairly remote area of Washington state, and so there aren’t a lot of supports for YOPD here. Our online community has been amazingly positive and supportive. We hope for a cure because Jason, and everyone living with PD, deserves it!
What type of goals do individuals with Parkinson’s have when seeing your Advocacy?
All I know is every day, we receive many messages thanking us for our openness and our honesty. People also seem to love the way we interact…We have a perfectly flawed marriage, and it works! We love each other a lot. I think people see a lot of hope and comfort in that.
What effect can your Advocacy have on an individual with Parkinson’s?
I would hope that our advocacy, and future advocacy, will give people hope. We also hope to advocate with all of you in Washington DC next year for NIH spending, environmental protections and full implementation of the National Parkinson’s Project. AND A CURE!! We also hope to advocate more for care partners, too. Care partners are sometimes overlooked, and can experience burn out, anxiety, depression, and financial strain.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your Advocacy?
We want a cure. We want better treatments, and we want better training, funding and care for care partners.
What events do you participate in?
We’ll be attending the WPC in Phoenix AZ this year! Really looking forward to it.
How does this also assist the caregivers?
Exactly! We hope to bring more attention to the caregiver, too. One of our strengths is our relationship and our willingness to show people that for us, it’s a joint effort. This is just as much about Angie as it is Jason. Well, maybe not quite as much, but you get the idea. For caregivers that are in it 100%, they go through everything but the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s. It’s quite a ride for them, too, and we believe a lot more needs to be done in this area, too. We hear from care partners all the time, and it’s time.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
Facebook: Beyond the Brochures: Living with Parkinsons
Instagram: beyond.the.brochures
How can others also become advocates for awareness?
We are still learning this ourselves!
In your opinion, what is the key to effective advocacy?
The key to effective advocacy are two things: connections and consistency. Getting out there, meeting people (whether online or in person) is essential; the ability to state your purpose clearly is also important. Then, it’s about repeating the purpose over and over again until you are heard. There’s no giving up in advocacy.
How can we better fundraise to support a cure for Parkinson’s?
Keep doing what we’re doing! I think rallying people to contact their representatives is important…As teachers, we think we need to promote a grass roots movement, and then let democracy do its thing!
What other activities do you undertake to help improve and support your daily living Eg exercise and alternative remedies?
Jason golfs a ton…And he’s great at it! He shot a 70 just last week. He lifts weights, bike rides in nice weather, and we do yoga together several times a week.
Why should people who don’t have Parkinson’s care about this?
Have you seen the recent publication from michaeljfox.org? Parkinson’s is expensive for our society and for the people who live with it daily. It makes good economic sense to find a cure. Not only that, but people don’t deserve to suffer. If we can send men to the moon, we can cure horrible diseases like PD. The will needs to be there, and we’re part of that.
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TogetherForSharon® In memory of my mother, Sharon to voice awareness & hope for a Parkinson’s Disease cure. Sharon’s Son, George
Support https://www.togetherforsharon.com/shop/
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