Renowned Twin Cities guitarist, Billy McLaughlin, who refused to let a neuromuscular disorder called Focal Dystonia ruin his career by literally switching hands to play his complicated style of music, will be recognized with an international award on April 14 in Toronto. The “2010 Public Leadership in Neurology Award” will be given to McLaughlin by the august worldwide organizations, The American Academy of Neurology and the American Academy of Neurology Foundation (AAN). Past awardees and speakers have included Michael J. Fox, Paul Allen, Dame Julie Andrews, Leeza Gibbons, Cuba Gooding, Jr., the Honorable Janet Reno, and others.
As the recipient of the 2010 Public Leadership Award, McLaughlin will deliver the keynote address at the Academy’s 2010 Awards Luncheon. The Awards Luncheon will be held on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. EST at the Metro Toronto Convention Center in Toronto, Ontario. In his honor, the American Academy of Neurology will donate $5,000 to the Dystonia Medical Research Foundation based in Chicago.
In a recent letter he received from the AAN, John C. Mazziotta, MD, PhD, Chair, Public Leadership in Neurology Award, announced that the organizations “would like to recognize your strong commitment to neurological research and your steadfastness in raising awareness of the daily challenges people with neurological disease and their families face by presenting you with the 2010 Public Leadership in Neurology Award.”
“It is a distinguished honor to be recognized for my contribution to making more visible the reality of Focal Dystonia which affects musicians, professional athletes, men, women and children from every walk of life,” says McLaughlin, a single father of two, living in the Twin Cities’ suburb of White Bear Lake. “I am humbled and honored to receive this award and dedicate it to the thousands of people worldwide suffering from neurological complications that affect their quality of life. I also want to acknowledge my immediate family and my two teenaged sons, who have tolerated my life as a musician battling such a destructive condition. I deeply appreciate your sacrifices and your struggle to understand this medical challenge and know they were often just as hard as mine.”
About the AAN and the Public Leadership in Neurology Award Event
The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) is an association of more than 21,000 neurologists and neurology professionals, who are generally the principal medical providers for people with neurological disease. The AAN Foundation is focused on one critical need: to recruit and train the best and brightest clinical researchers in neurology.
The Public Leadership in Neurology Award honors an individual or individuals outside of the medical profession known for advancing public understanding and awareness of neurologic disease, being effective advocates for neuroscience research, and making significant contributions to improve patient care and quality of life.
The Awards Luncheon is a premier event of the AAN 62nd Annual Meeting, honoring physicians who have contributed substantially to advancing neurologic research. In addition to neurologists and neuroscientists, the audience will include neurologists in training, medical students and high school students interested in neuroscience. The meeting itself spans eight days and attracts over 10,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals worldwide as well as national and international press who come to learn the latest updates in research on treatments for neurological disorders.
About Billy McLaughlin
McLaughlin is a composer and plays an innovative and complex “Finger Tapping” style of guitar, placing both hands on the fret board. Shortly after his Billboard Top 10 release (fingerdance) he began struggling with a mysterious hand problem that eluded doctors.
By 2000, he could no longer play the music loved by fans across the world. McLaughlin’s career, his life-long dedication to guitar and his personal life were all in ruins. Searching three years in vain for any effective therapy and an answer to his problem, he was finally diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, an incurable neuro-muscular disorder. After considering his options McLaughlin did what for most would be unthinkable — if not impossible — he taught himself to play his virtuoso compositions left-handed.
Since then two films have been made about his struggle and his comeback. A documentary film about his ordeal, Changing Keys — Billy McLaughlin and the Mysteries of Dystonia will air on over 50 PBS stations in the US including major markets beginning in June. A second film, Coming Back Alive, captures Billy’s triumphant return to the stage as a southpaw. The acclaimed guitarist has recently become a spokesperson for The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation, located in Chicago www.dystonia-foundation.org.
McLaughlin continues to demonstrate the strength and grace of the human spirit by performing internationally with symphony orchestras, string quartets, modern rock ensembles and as a solo performer.
Visit Billy’s website at www.billymclaughlin.com
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