“We all need role models who fuel our desire to make the world a better place. Mine is my dad.”
These are the opening words of a powerful blog post by Pamela Sloate of Chronicles of a Dystonia Muse.
With the passing of her father, Martin Sloate, in late 2014, Pamela—a self-proclaimed “battle-clever Dystonia damsel”—describes in heartfelt detail the road he blazed for the entire Dystonia community.
Have you heard of the International Dystonia Symposium? Or the Dystonia Research Foundation (DMF)?
You can thank Martin Sloate, in part, for both.
Martin played a profound role in these institutions; he helped grow a Dystonia community where before there was nothing, and nurtured research and awareness toward new heights.
Even in the wake of his passing, Martin’s contributions continue to blossom with the ongoing efforts of the DMF, The Martin & Roberta Sloate Dystonia Research Fund, and finally, with his daughter, Pamela, who devotes herself to encouraging others with movement disorders.
“[My father] is truly one of the unsung heroes of the Dystonia community,”
writes Pamela. But that begs the question—who are the other heroes remaining unsung?
For everyone reading this, let me challenge you to unplug and think for a second.
Think of the heroes who raised you up: the family, friends, and doctors—even the people you only met once—who impacted you along the way.
Martin Sloate helped hundreds of thousands of lives by helping his daughter—evidence that you never know what you’ll accomplish by caring for your loved ones.
Treasure the heroes and role models in your own life—do that and you, too, can make the world a better place!
Read all of Pamela’s triumphs and struggles with Dystonia at her blog, or check out how she reacted when she heard her own voice on the answering machine.
As strong as she is, Pamela can’t tell her father’s story alone. Share this article by choosing your favorite social network below and get the word out about this remarkable man who changed the Dystonia community forever.
