Saturday, March 10, 2012

The Parkinson's Community; alive and kicking.

Sometimes I get little messages of hope.  I was just mentally settling down to have a nice little pity party, and out of the blue, this stranger calls me.  He was just diagnosed a year and a half ago, got my name from a friend who got if off the internet and realized that we both live in the same neighborhood, and called me to see how I was doing.  Here's this 65 year old man, still trying to recover from the shock of the diagnosis, and he's reaching out to me because he knows I'm walking the same path that he is, and he wants to offer support to me!  I was amazed and really touched.  He and his wife were just starting to enjoy their semi-retirement (they are both geologists and are used to traveling all over the world in pursuit of data on earthquakes and slides) when they had this bomb dropped on them.  But he's not letting it get him down, that's for sure.  He's researching and working on it, going to the Institute for exercise and physical therapy, and most of all, keeping a positive attitude.  He was an inspiration to talk to, and I plan on keeping in touch.

It was a reminder to me that none of us are alone, though it may feel that way sometimes.  The Parkinson's community is very much alive, though tenuous in places.

So thanks, Mike, for the wake-up call!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I read this and I know how this gentleman felt,I have MS and was devastated then mad,and now way over it I guess.But it was thought I had Parkinson's at first but finally MS came out,I pray for all of us in this yoyo life.Yes you are right you are not alone.I have an uncle fighting Parkinsons'.

matina said...

My husband was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease at 57.his symptoms were shuffling of feet,slurred speech, low volume speech, degradation of hand writing, horrible driving skills, right arm held at 45 degree angle, things were tough for me, but now he finally free from the disease with the help of total cure from ULTIMATE LIFE CLINIC, he now walks properly and all symptoms has reversed, he had trouble with balance especially at night, getting into the shower and exiting it is difficult,getting into bed is also another thing he finds impossible.we had to find a better solution for his condition which has really helped him a lot,the biggest helped we had was ultimate life clinic they walked us through the proper steps, this their website www.ultimatelifeclinic.com to anyone who needs help.

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.