Foundation friends Karen and Marc Jaffe were featured in a podcast for the Cleveland City Club, a well-known forum for public dialogue whose speakers have included modern U.S. presidents and other famous dignitaries. Karen shares how her life has changed since she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2007, while Marc light-heartedly comments on aging and giving a gift that money can’t buy.

As Team Fox members, the Jaffes have raised nearly $175,000 for Parkinson’s disease research through their Foundation, Shaking with Laughter. According to Karen, an OB/GYN in private practice in Cleveland, “having a sense of humor is a saving grace.” She and Marc, a renowned comedian and former writer for Seinfeld, firmly believe in humor as a way to take control of life’s obstacles.

But their efforts don’t stop there. Karen recently joined the Foundation’s Patient Council, a group of Parkinson’s patients who provide input to the Foundation on patient needs. Further, Marc – being a true romantic – announced to Karen on their anniversary that he enrolled as a control in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), the Foundation’s landmark clinical study to identify biomarkers of the disease.

For those with their own Parkinson’s diagnosis or those whose loved ones are living with the disease, this podcast provides a comedic perspective on taking control.
[audio src="http://www.cityclub.org/Media/Audio/CityClubPodcast-120316.mp3" format="mp3"]