I have Parkinson's with Lewy Bodies.  Since April 2018, I have been pursuing my passion --painting to raise funds  for Parkinson's clinical research. My next show "Faith"  opens on November 22nd  (5-9pm) in Toronto. It will be open for the next two weekends noon to 3pm, closing December 1st. 

This disease is insidious but thanks to the support of family, friends and an amazing community of PSWs and medical teams, I am facing it with as much grace as I can muster.  Since my first show, I have had three  more solo exhibitions and have raised over 80K for research and support to PD organizations in Canada and around the world. This past  June, I had a solo show in France and raised funds for Parkinson's there through sales   from my  "Surveillance" series,  which reflects my observations about the world we live in.

With your ongoing help and generosity, I am aiming to reach the ambitious  goal of raising 200K to support a fellowship at Sunnybrook Hospital for research into Lewy Body Dementia,  a form of Parkinson’s Disease. In October, I attended my 40th Phys Ed reunion as part of Queen's Homecoming weekend. While there,  presented a commissioned work to Queen's University to hang in the new Phys Ed Centre, which is renamed the School of Kinesiology and Health. Thank you to all my Queen's friends who have supported this endeavour.

My story inspired Back Lane Studio make a film which  premiered internationally in October, at the Oaxaca Film Festival. It was previewed  last December at the Revue Cinema.  The film explores my life with  the LBD Parkinson's and the joy I have found in painting. Created by Back Lane's filmmaker instructors Jeana McCabe and Jordan McTavish, the short doc, titled Chasing Monsters: Parkinson's and the Power of Art, set the scene for a panel discussion on art and the treatment of neurological disorders. Moderated by author and former Globe and Mail medical reporter Carolyn Abraham, the panel included my  neurologist Dr. Mario Masselis,   Saba Shahid, who has developed an art program for Parkinson’s patients in the United States called Smilethroughart, and me. 

Thank you for supporting  my goal of raising funds for research into this disease .

If you have any time-sensitive questions, please contact me via my spouse:  mariemoliner88@gmail.com or text her mobile at 647 960-6819. I can be reached at kevin.whitaker@sympatico.ca