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hi all peggy wrote, in part: > A pharmaceutical company is flying me to St. > Louis next week (Monday) to speak to about > 200 newly trained pharm reps. The topic: > "What It's Like to Live With Parkinson's" > I want to be sure that I don't leave out > anything, so I need your responses here, > and I need them fast! I will only have about > 20 minutes to convey to many who don't have > a clue as to PD's effect, so be brief but > thorough ... and then someone wrote, in part: > It's like living in a glass house and watching > the world live its life ... and then someone wrote, in part: > Someone recently said to me that the effects > Parkinson's has on a person can seem like > character flaws to anyone who doesn't know > what Parkinson's is ... it's extremely > frustrating to live with Parkinson's and > it never gets any better ... and then someone wrote, in part: > Not being able to make plans to do things > with friends because you don't know if you > will be off or on at a future date. This > tends to add to the isolation ... and then someone wrote, in part: > PD is great fun if you are a masochist, If > you enjoy watching your physical abilities > gradually diminish over time, where it takes > all your concentration to get across a room ... and then peggy wrote, in part: > Thanks for your input ... make those guys > and gals who will be out there presenting > the medical profession with reasons why to > invest in their medication to drop their > jaws in shock when they hear what it's > really like. These sales reps will be > the young "beautiful" people who have > charisma and have never even seen someone > who had to lose their self-dignity to such > a debilitating disease ... "Your self-image > is reduced until you feel like a freak in > a side show." "You become a prisoner trapped > in your own body." "You lose your dignity > when someone has to help you do a task as > simple as going to the bathroom." I don't > want to scare newcomers here, but I am > thinking of the worst scenario in order > to "get my point across." ... and then greg wrote, in part: > Tell them we are not little profit centers. > Tell them we are their brothers and sons > and mothers and friends and uncles and aunts > and fathers. Tell them to do their jobs in > a way that allows them to sleep well at > night. Tell them that we need their help > as we fight to save ourselves. Tell them > to care. Tell them we are them ... for me it's a gift a tough slap-upside-the-head kind of gift but a gift nonetheless it forced me to look hard at my life and at my priorities i had to make some changes what i had thought was important suddenly wasn't what i had thought was cornball sentimentality suddenly wasn't i grew to learn that i had not received a sentence to a living hell i grew to learn that any 'hell' was of my own making and my own thinking i grew to learn that this is a tough test is all i am in competition with no one i am not being punished i am being challenged i will rise to it and thus find the gift in it janet ps that does not mean that i would refuse help i am not a martyr i need intelligent caring people on my side as much as anyone does and a smart and sensitive pharmaceutical expert just might be one of the most important members of my health care team -- janet paterson a new voice http://www.janetpaterson.net/ pd: 56-41-37 cd: 56-44-43 tel: 613-256-8340 an akinetic rigid subtype, albeit primarily perky, parky ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn