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Paula stated: I think that the spunk of the person has a lot to do with survival. Hope is a strong healer. I'll go out on a limb with this one but I think the idea that a patients personal virtues or attributes affect medical outcomes gets way overstated. Hope is the result of an expectation or judgment that there will be a "good" outcome. Since hope can be misplaced it really does matter that we use good judgment about where we place our hopes. To put an expectation on patients with serious diseases like PD or cancer that they be spunky might work out just fine if their own expectations for a good outcome happens as the result, say of medical treatment. What if that good outcome doesn't happen? Even if it's not our intent, are those patients now going to also be burdened with guilt for not being hopeful enough? Do you remember Tinkerbelle? Not the Disney character but the one from the tv play of a half century ago. She was played by the light from a spot light. She had just deliberately drank a cup of poison meant for Peter Pan and was dying. Just as her light was about to go out Peter turns directly to the camera and asks all the children to wish really hard and thus save her, and we did it! I felt wonderful.You must know what my next question is without my asking it. All I'm trying to say is that some things like taking care of those around you are in your control. Other things like the consequences of having this disease are not. Let's not add to the problem by expectations about how we should feel. My concerns about this comes from my wife's experiences on a forum for breast cancer survivors. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn Joe