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Bittersweet music: Lawyer battles Parkinson's with lyrical grace. Tuesday 28 March 2000 - David Simmonds says the way he's looking at it, and he admits there are many ways of looking at such a thing, the whole emotional spectrum really, but the way he's looking at it is this: "I've had the opportunity to be successful in my career," he says. "What I have now is an opportunity to be successful in my life as well." He says the words cautiously, perhaps an estate and trusts lawyer -- the best in the city by most accounts -- has always spoken cautiously. Although it is noticeably slow speech. And there is the tremor in his right hand. And the shuffling, side-stepped manner in which he walks. Even without knowing his story, you would suspect there was more than caution to explain his careful, halting speech. Which there is. The entire story is one of inspiring, almost lyrical, grace under pressure. On June 1 of this year, at the age of 47, Mr. Simmonds will retire and step down as a senior partner at the law firm of Gowling, Strathy and Henderson, the largest firm in Ottawa. His legal career lasted less than 20 years, although it was a brilliant career, and he is quite right when he claims it was a "success" and that he accomplished everything he wanted to in his professional life. Still, his was a career that could have lasted as long as he wished, and he does wish it had gone further. His son and his daughter have not even graduated from high school yet. He never thought it would end so early. But after that meeting with the doctor in Markham back in '93, the decision was never his to make again. "I had been feeling stiff, my muscles ached and I had gone to my family doctor, who sent me to a physiotherapist," remembers Mr. Simmonds. "Nothing helped, though, and I eventually ended up being referred to a neurologist in Markham, who took exactly two minutes to make the right diagnosis." Mr. Simmonds, it turned out, has Parkinson's, a chronic neurological disorder that leads to progressive loss of muscle control and, ultimately, in many cases, to paralysis. There is no cure for the disorder, and only 10 per cent of those with Parkinson's are under the age of 50. Mr. Simmonds is part of that unlucky group, which includes actor Michael J. Fox, who was diagnosed with the disorder two years ago, while still in his 30s. Anyway, Mr. Simmonds worked for seven years after being diagnosed, which is an amazing feat, but under his doctor's advice, he is retiring this spring. The brilliant legal career is finished. So what do you do? It is at this point in Mr. Simmonds' life that his friends and peers came to realize, if they did not already, what sort of man he was. He became a director, then the head, of the Parkinson's Society of Ottawa-Carleton, then a director and the current head of the Parkinson Foundation of Canada. He threw himself into charity work. He raised funds. And then this year, to raise more funds, he recorded his first -- and what will almost certainly be his only -- musical CD. The Uxbridge Sessions is the project that brought Mr. Simmonds to my attention, and one that seems to aptly reflect his whimsical, get-on-with-life-as-best-you-can character. "I'm not actually selling the CD," explains Mr. Simmonds. "I wouldn't be so presumptuous to think I could actually record something that was worth buying. "But what people can do is, for a $100 donation to the Parkinson Foundation of Canada, they can get the CD and a Certificate of Exemption, which relieves them of any obligation to actually listen to the thing." So far, by not selling the CD, he has raised $6,500 for charity. For those souls who may want to break the terms of the contract, and listen to the Uxbridge Sessions, they will find an eclectic and beautiful selection of music, everything from Fats Waller to Scottish troubadour Niel Gow. Mr. Simmonds sings and plays every instrument on the CD. "Years from now, when maybe I can't play the guitar or the piano like I do now, I will have this CD. That was the original purpose behind recording it," says Mr. Simmonds. "The idea for raising money came later." Calling it the Uxbridge Sessions also came later. The original title for the CD was a play on a Niel Gow song. "I was going to call it Niel Gow's Lament for the Death of his Second Wife and Other Party Favourites," says Mr. Simmonds. "In some ways I wish I'd stuck with that title. It seems to have the right attitude." As does Mr. Simmonds, as he sets forth on the greatest battle of his life. Anyone interested in purchasing copies of the Uxbridge Sessions, or in attending the retirement breakfast being organized for him by the Parkinson's Society of Ottawa-Carleton next month, should get in touch with [log in to unmask] Copyright 2000 Ottawa Citizen by Ron Corbett <[log in to unmask]> The Ottawa Citizen <www.ottawacitizen.com> janet paterson 53 now / 41 dx / 37 onset a new voice: http://www.geocities.com/janet313/ 613 256 8340 PO Box 171 Almonte Ontario Canada K0A 1A0