Parkinson’s Patient and Advocate Denise Coley: ‘Breakthroughs Are Within Reach. How Quickly We Reach Them Is Up to Us’

MORGAN HILL, CA, UNITED STATES, October 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — In a guest opinion piece, Denise Coley shares her story of how immunotherapy is bringing new hope to Californians living with Parkinson’s disease and why Californians should vote YES on Proposition 38, the Immunology Medical Research & Cures Initiative.

“My family’s story isn’t rare,” said Denise Coley. “Millions of California families know how much a disease like Parkinson’s asks of the people who love someone living with it. That’s why I’m joining The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research in supporting Proposition 38.”

Denise was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in January 2018, becoming the third person within two generations on her mother’s side of the family to receive the diagnosis. Drawing on more than two decades of leadership in supplier diversity business development, she repurposed her skills, talents and time to support individuals and their loved ones impacted by Parkinson’s disease and health disparities.

“For millions of families affected by Parkinson’s and other devastating diseases, progress toward improved treatments and cures represents more than just scientific achievements,” said Coley. “It’s also about greater independence, financial relief and an improved quality of life. The breakthroughs are within reach. How quickly we reach them is up to us.”

Read Coley’s full opinion editorial here.
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Prop 38 will provide $8.4 billion to accelerate immunology research to help cure and prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and other persistent diseases. Immunotherapies harness the body’s own immune system to prevent and treat diseases, and they are already successfully treating patients with melanoma, lung cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Prop 38 will fund the next generation of this research for other diseases, like Parkinson’s, diabetes, ALS, muscular dystrophy, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis.

Uncertainty in federal research funding, which halted at least 160 active clinical trials nationwide in 2025, is stalling discoveries at the exact moment medical research has momentum.

Prop 38 is designed to pay for itself. Ten percent of all proceeds from the licensing of immunotherapies must be returned to California to offset the measure’s total costs, including interest. Additionally, any cure or immunotherapy developed will be provided to California patients at a 20 percent discount below the national average. Prop 38 also includes strict accountability requirements, including:
– Two percent cap on state administrative expenses
– Public disclosure of spending
– Independent financial audits
– For-profit corporations are not eligible for grant funding

Learn more at YESon38.com, including a coalition list and what supporters are saying.

MORE ABOUT DENISE COLEY
Denise Coley is a health equity advocate and former supplier diversity business leader who is living with Parkinson’s disease. Her advocacy focuses on bringing Parkinson’s awareness, education and resources to under-engaged communities. Coley is a member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council and has served in advocacy and research roles with the Parkinson’s Foundation and the World Parkinson Coalition. With her husband, Bernard, she co-chairs the Special Interest Group-Black Diaspora, which works to bring Black patient perspectives into Parkinson’s research and to increase Black participation in clinical studies. She also serves on the Stanford Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Community Advisory Board.

Robin Swanson
YES on Prop 38
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