Nina P. Brown


ABOUT THE PRESIDENT GEORGE H.W. BUSH AWARD

George H.W. Bush, the 41st President
As an organization, we pay tribute to former President George H.W. Bush. A man who was admired throughout our nation and world, President Bush connected with Houstonians and HAPS in unique and deeply meaningful ways.
At the 2018 Annual Awards Gala, Houston Area Parkinson Society celebrated the establishment of the President George H.W. Bush Award. This new award was inspired by the humanitarian legacy the 41st President created in 1990 by signing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. This landmark piece of civil rights legislation has had a far-reaching impact on the lives of those with disabilities by establishing a clear and comprehensive nationwide mandate for the elimination of discrimination for individuals with disabilities.
They call it vascular Parkinsonism. It just affects the legs… It is hard, because I love being active, [playing] sports, being in the game… But you just face the reality and make the best of it.
-President George H.W. Bush, Parade Magazine 2012
The goals of the ADA focused on community integration, participation, and enhancement of the independence of people with disabilities at home, at work, and throughout the course of their daily lives. This law supported equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. It created renewed hope and fostered determination and promoted self-worth and accomplishment in others. These values, along with the fortitude and resilience with which President Bush faced life with vascular Parkinsonism are ideals that we share and embrace as an organization.
President Bush’s unfaltering optimism with which he confronted his own condition set a shining example for countless people who live with Parkinson’s and related disorders.

ABOUT THE AWARD ARTIST
Designed by artist Tom Bennett, who had Parkinson’s disease, the President George H. W. Bush Award’s brushed pewter graceful yet powerful lines and curves rest on a marble base. Entitled “Boundless,” the sculpture twists and turns to form a striking shape reminiscent of an infinity symbol. It symbolizes the unending, ever-present, “boundless” energy, drive and determination of those that truly make an impact.

THE HOPE VIDEO
Because of the work she has done, her determination and positive spirit, Nina was asked to make a presentation on “Hope” as a keynote speaker for a statewide Parkinson’s meeting in Arizona. It was while she was putting together this presentation that she realized how essential hope is in the lives of everyone, not just those with Parkinson’s. Subsequently, she has taken her message of hope on the road, presenting it nationally. Nina is a firm believer in “accentuating the positive and eliminating the negative.” She emphasizes that with all that is bad, there is good to be found. She has found a way to make the most out of the life she has been given, to have fun and to never give up hope. If you don’t believe in the importance of hope, we know you will by the end of this video.
