5/22/2023 Update (from Phillip):

Hi everyone,

First let me thank those of you who have so generously contributed to the fund that my friend John Hopkins set up for me.

The Nature Cures Clinic has rescheduled my trip for Monday, May 29th. It will be at their Park City, Utah facility. I’m looking forward to it as I hear Park City is beautiful.  Dr. Eckel has sent me recordings of his last 4 Wednesday night Zoom meetings. They are extremely informative as to the disease and his homeopathic approach of treatment. One of the recordings is devoted entirely to stem cell therapy. Dr. Eckel Interviews Dr. Todd Ovokaitys, one of the world’s leading authorities on stem cell technology.  If you would like to know more about the subject, I highly recommend this session.

So far $14,575 has been raised.

I initially put $5000 towards the $24,500 required to hold my reservation for the week. I need another $4925 for the clinic costs. I’m also close to what I need for the travel expenses. I hope that those that have not contributed will come to my rescue.

Again I am forever thankful and indebted to you all for your support.

If anyone has any questions about my treatment, please reach out to me by phone or email at [email redacted]. Questions about the fund should go to John at JLHopk63aol.com.

Much Love,

Phillip

———————————

5/5/2023 Update:

Good morning,

Phillip’s medical visit has been set for May 22nd through the 26th where he will have 13 separate doctors appointments totaling $24,650 out of pocket plus air travel and hotel expenses. The fee has to be paid prior to arrival. I’m hoping the funds will be secured in time.

He is so appreciative of the support you’re giving him.

Thank you for your generosity.

——————

Hi, my name is John Hopkins and Phillip Sides has been a wonderful friend to so many of us for many years and my best friend for 40 plus years.

As many of you are aware Phillip was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease 11 years ago. For the first 10 years, he was very fortunate in that the disease was fairly mild except for the tremors that began in his left hand and eventually moved to his right hand. About 7 years ago Phillip lost his ability to draw, sketch and write. About 4 years ago the first DBS wire was implanted in his brain and 2 years later the second wire was implanted. The first implant was very successful and the tremor in his left hand was completely arrested and miraculously he was able to draw again. The second implant was not successful and has caused new problems. So it is inactive currently.

About a year ago the disease began to cause problems and 6 months ago several symptoms began to cause problems, some very seriously. Phillip’s eyesight has been affected as well as his vocal cord. His tremors have returned, thankfully not as bad yet. And I'm sure there are other issues that he has not shared with me. Phillip has maintained a very positive outlook and has tirelessly worked to stay a step ahead of the disease. I’ve been amazed at his attitude and resolve to beat his horrible disease.

In the last few months, it seems that he is losing the battle and I can tell that it has taken a toll on him mentally, although he refuses to give up. Until he had to stop traveling he was going to Atlanta every Thursday and Friday to work with a group of guys who are a part of an organization known as Functional Patterns. It is a form of physical training that is geared around the human gait. It was proving to be very beneficial to his physical problems. He hopes to be able to continue working with FP on Zoom. In addition, Phillip was connected to a therapist in Montgomery who is highly trained at keeping his muscles active and he also is familiar with the work of Functional Patterns. These sessions with FP and Jacob cost him $500. a week.

Phillip has worked for the last year with the Department of Speech and Hearing at Auburn to help retrain his voice. Auburn is fortunate to have two of seven speech pathologists in Alabama certified by the Lee Silverman Voice Treatment to treat Parkinson’s patients. His insurance is limited so Phillip has to pay for sessions beyond what is covered by insurance.

All this has cost a lot of money in addition to insurance. And it continues to mount up.

As of late Phillip has expressed to me that he has become very frustrated with the doctors in Birmingham. His symptoms seem to be worsening and there doesn’t seem to be any help with the problems. Like most doctors, they just want to medicate and have no solution for the problem itself. As his symptoms worsen they prescribe more and stronger medicine which can cause side effects themselves. The doctors in Birmingham are very good at diagnosing the disease but don’t seem to be able to think out of the box. This seems to be a trend among most Western medicine practitioners. After much research and searching Phillip has found a doctor in Portland Oregon who is also trained in homeopathic medicine and is the leading doctor in the country for treating Parkinson’s patients holistically. He incorporates several methods in treating patients including stem cell therapy. Dr. Eckel has had tremendous success with his patients without the use of drugs.

Philip will be fortunate to be able to see Dr. Eckel in the next couple of months. The unfortunate problem is that his treatments are not covered by insurance. and stem cell therapy is very expensive. Like so much of his treatments mentioned previously “Big Pharma” controls the insurance and medical profession such that if they are not selling drugs one’s treatment is not covered.

Phillip is asking for help to afford his future treatments. It has been proven to be very successful, to the point of being able to reverse some of Philllip’s symptoms and with the help of stem cells possibly reverse the damage done in the brain.

I am very excited about the new path Phillip has chosen that hopefully will give him back the years he has lost and give him peace of mind that will relieve the stress he has been under and stress is the #1 cause of the progression of Parkinson’s. Phillip would very much like to continue to work. As it is now he is all but retired.

Please join me and contribute to Philip’s fund to help him to be able to afford this treatment.

Thank you,

John