The source of this article is the New York Daily News: http://tinyurl.com/7fhjq
His secret pain
After 10 years, Jennings reveals battle with Parkinson's
It all started with a slight twitch in his thumb.
Then, Dave Jennings watched his handwriting begin to look more and more
like child-like scrawl. When he went long-distance running, his right foot
rolled uncontrollably.
This was back in 1995. Three years later, Jennings was watching a TV news
program featuring a man who, coincidentally, had the same three problems.
The man had Parkinson's Disease.
That's all Jennings needed to see to visit a neurologist. The doctor told
him he had Parkinson's Disease, a chronic degenerative neurological
disorder, which typically progresses from mild tremors to complete physical
incapacitation. The doctor said it was a "mild" form. For people under 50
it is called "young onset."
That day, time froze for the former Giants and Jets punter, now an analyst
on Big Blue radiocasts. Jennings never had any major health issues. And he
continued working out - hard - long after his playing days had ended. Now a
doctor was telling him he had a disease with no way to prevent, anticipate,
or estimate what havoc it will ultimately wreak on his body.
"So, it was okay, what do I do now," Jennings,53, told me late last week.
"Let's tackle this thing and do what I can. I did . . . I didn't want to
blame anybody. I just wanted to move forward. But all things being equal,
I'd rather not have it."
For 10 years - since he first experienced the symptoms, through the
diagnosis, up until this month - Jennings only told his family, his
girlfriend, and "a couple of friends" that he had Parkinson's.
"I think it's just human nature to keep this to myself. You look at (having
Parkinson's) as being a negative or a weakness on your part. You don't want
to show that," Jennings said. "I was a little concerned about my ability to
do (Giants) games, which hasn't been a problem."
Over the past year, Jennings has sensed that certain symptoms may becoming
more obvious, which will lead people to ask questions and show concern. He
also figured it was time to turn his experience into a positive one.
Jennings had only pondered the possibility of going public, but really
decided to take the step two weeks ago following his class reunion at St.
Lawrence University.
"My best friend told me several people came up to him (at the reunion) and
asked if there was something wrong - maybe I was walking a little more
slowly - with me," Jennings said. "He told them everything was fine. They
said: 'Well if anything is wrong with Dave you let us know. We love Dave
and we want to help him if we can.'"
The emotion of that moment gave Jennings the impetus to share his plight
with the public. He told a few more friends. He talked about his
experience, and his future, with John Mara, the Giants executive-vp/chief
operating officer, and Pat Hanlon, the Giants vp/communications.
More importantly, he embarked on a journey. An important mission with a
singular purpose. To help others.
"Dave approached us," said Joyce Oberdorf, director of policy, planning and
communications for The Michael J. Fox Foundation For Parkinson's Research.
"He's a wonderful person."
Oberdorf said Jennings will not only be able to help in fund-raising
efforts, but also can provide comfort to others with the disease.
"They can identify with Dave and sort of feel they are not alone," she
said. "And it allows people around them to understand what they are going
through. That if they're slow to get the money out of the wallet at the
deli, people will understand they have a disease, they have a condition."
This might be the time to wallow in a melancholy story about a
strong-willed ex-athlete summoming every bit of energy to fight the battle
of his life. Jennings has that kind of drive, but is a different breed of
cat. So this is a different kind of story. Unlike some of his peers who
went into studios and broadcasts booths after their playing careers,
Jennings has never changed.
He has remained true to himself and his personality. Jennings will never be
mistaken for some fair-haired good ole boy engaging in contrived,
self-effacing shtick with his partner. Nor is he the suddenly
self-righteous member of some psuedo-intellectual sports panel discussion
led by Bob Costas.
Jennings is a man of principle, a man of focus, who has always considered
the feelings of others first. His actions off the air, out of the public
eye, tell you that. When Jets suits exposed themselves as complete morons
by firing him, John Mara was quick to offer Jennings a job in the Giants
radio booth.
Jennings did not immediately accept the job. And he was not holding out for
an extra dollar or some type of gratuitous perk. Jennings just wanted to
call Dick Lynch and ask the veteran Giants radio analyst if it "would be
okay with him" if he took the job and became part of the team.
So, if you believe in a higher power, if you believe in the Book of Life,
perhaps a special page has been sent down for Jennings. Maybe someone needs
him to spread that focus, personality and concern to people who really need
it, even if there is a personal price involved.
For now, Jennings will deal with, what he called, the "speed bumps" in his
life, take the prescribed medications ("They seem to be working well," he
says), and continue working out. The disease has ended his long-distance
running, so he runs shorter distances.
Sometimes he has problems manuvering out of small spaces.
Throughout the conversation, Jennings voice did not reveal emotion, until
he was asked if the experience has ever frightened him. He quickly said, "No."
Then Dave Jennings paused. He began verbally running in an entirely
different direction. Now, there was emotion.
"Something has taken hold of me, and I'm going to beat it. And that's what
I'm going to do. I'm going to beat it," Jennings said. "You don't die from
Parkinson's, you die with it."
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