Late last week, former Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, was in
hospital with an undisclosed illness. The report stated that Mr.
Trudeau also has Parkinson's. In a later newscast, Dr. Calne, a much
respected neurologist and expert on Parkinson's, was interviewed. Dr.
Calne said (not quoting word for word) that the seriousness of Parkinson's
was often understated. Besides the daily and progressively more
difficult challenges of living with Parkinson's being underestimated, he
said that progression of the disorder eventually involves other muscle
groups such as those used in swallowing. Many people with Parkinson's
die from saliva and/or food getting into the lungs because of pd's effect
on those muscles.
My point is that Parkinson's, not pneumonia, was the real cause of
death. To state otherwise would be similar to saying that a person who was
shot and fell to the ground died from the fall rather than the gunshot.
(I really must stop reading so many murder/mystery stories!)
Until and unless the devastation of Parkinson's is recognized, research
into the causes/treatments/cure will continue to be underfunded.
People like Janet Reno and Michael J. Fox and Muhammed Ali are doing
their share, so let's do ours...walk for Parkinson's; talk about it; if
you are fumbling for change at a checkout, explain that you have
Parkinson's. I know it's easier to stay home so people won't stare at us
shaking or moving rigidly and slowly or spilling our tea, but letting
them see that may inspire them to contribute to research the next time
they are asked.
INVISIBLE NO MORE
Barb
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Barbara Patterson [log in to unmask]
HSC 2J22 905-525-9140, ext. 22403
School of Nursing
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