^^^^^^GREETINGS  FROM^^^^^^^^^^
Ivan Suzman  47/10   [log in to unmask]
Portland, Maine   land of lighthouses     deg. F
***********************************************************
mARTHA,

yOUR MESSAGE IS SO BEAUTIFUL.  i AM DEPRESSED AND  YOUR LLOVE IS A
MIRACLE.  THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR LETTER TO dON.

ivan

On Wed, 10 Sep 1997 18:40:11 -0400 "(Martha Rohrer)"
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>Dear Don:
>
>Anyone who has as many friends here on the list and elsewhere as you
>do
>should not be so sad and discouraged.
>
>One of the hardest things to do is to be able to take a final walk
>through
>that door that represents all the things you were able to do so well
>in all
>those years gone by. But when you pass through there must be something
>to
>take the place of what you can no longer do to keep your brain active.
>
>My husband and I are going through the same kind of trials that upset
>you so
>much, and we know  how you feel. I have had to take on the role of the
>bad
>guy more often than I like to keep him safe. One of his greatest
>pleasures
>had been working in his woodshop. He could make just about anything he
>or I
>wanted or needed, and it always turned out well. As his PD progressed,
>I had
>to persuade him, for the sake of his fingers, to give up most of his
>power
>tools one by one. Lately his attempts to do the simplest tasks, like
>painting a board or using a screwdriver, result in a botched job,
>thanks to
>tremor and dyskinesia. Its heartbreaking for both of us. He was a
>business
>teacher who could type without errors at warp speed. Now his efforts
>are
>slow and full of errors. He tries to be philosophical about it, but it
>depresses him. Another of his pleasures that he has to bid farewell is
>keeping our family financial records. He taught accounting, but the
>entries
>he makes now in the check register are often impossible to read
>correctly,
>and the bank statements don't reconcile smoothly any more. The best I
>can do
>is provide love and support and take on more of these duties. He now
>supervises my miserable attempts to handle the books and his ego is
>still
>intact there since I still count on my fingers.  He continues to
>putter in
>his workshop in his short windows of on-time, but he gets so engrossed
>he
>forgets that off-time can come on suddenly. I am considering brushing
>up on
>the "Fireman's Carry" technique in case he gets stuck outside the
>house when
>I have failed to "nag" him in on time.
>
>Don, its tough, but you need to give yourself some slack. Your brain
>is full
>of great ideas for tools and devices to make work easier. Instead of
>doing
>all the work yourself, why not learn about the simple pleasures of
>bossing
>someone else around while they follow your instructions. You can
>practice on
>Vivian!
>
>Never mind the spelling, we can translate just fine. The things that
>are
>happening to you have nothing to do with being dumb or old... your
>mind is
>working better than many a young whippersnapper's. Its just that PD
>won't
>allow your brain's orders to reach your muscles properly.
>
>We hope you got your pet back safely.
>
>Martha and Neal
>[log in to unmask]
>