Sunday, September 20, 2009

A Dubious Anniversary

Three years ago today I sat in the neurologist's office holding my husband's hand and receiving the news that I had Parkinson's Disease. It was surrealistic; we talked calmly about treatment options and disease progression and symptoms, and all the while a little voice in my head was screaming "You've got to be kidding me!". On the one hand, I was a little relieved to know what was wrong with me, and to know that it was most likely not something more serious, like ALS or a Parkinson's Plus syndrome or something like that. On the other hand, I felt that my future had been suddenly taken away from me. I always pictured myself growing old gracefully; staying active and strong, enjoying life with my husband, learning new things. I thought I would be one of those people that others look at and say "I can't believe she's 80!". Now, I suppose that in ten years or so, people will look at me and say "I can't believe she's only 60!".

The thing is, though, that the future was always uncertain. Nothing has changed. To think that you know what your future holds is just self-deception. Since I've realized that, I look forward to the future again, but I also enjoy the present maybe just a little bit more...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kiddo
you are one tough cookie! You look young to me and your spirit sores as high as the clouds! With all the work you Bob do for fundraising and bringing about awareness and everything else you contiue to do...It will be a very long time before you start to show any aging! Don't fool yourself at all!
Keep smiling!
Love ya Kiddo!
B'nana

About Me

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I'm a lucky lady. I have a wonderful husband of 27 years, a fantastic 25 year old son (I'm so proud of him!) a loving and supportive family, the best friends in the world, a job that I love, and... Parkinson's Disease. I was diagnosed in September 2006. That was a jolt, but I'm learning to deal with it.