PD-ANGELS:
Living alone with PD at age 37, I have had to learn to swallow my pride and
ask for help more and more. There are always people who will open the door
for me or ask if I need help carrying groceries; a lot of this is common
courtesy. But, every now and then, individuals in my life step forward to
do the unexpected. Here are two that stand out in my mind.
I stayed with my oldest brother in D.C. when I went to the Parkinson's
Symposium in May of last year. He had not seen my daily struggles since I
was first diagnosed over 5 years ago. He had to help dress me each morning
in order to be out the door in time to be at the conference each day. He
listened to my thoughts and fears and asked me questions about various
aspects of PD. I realized toward the end of my visit that my brother, who
is often accused by siblings as being pompous, had not offered me any
advice; so I asked him. He told me "I assume if you want my advice, you'll
ask for it". I think I cried at that point. By letting me voice the
challenges and my solutions in my life without interjecting what he (or
anyone else) thought I should do, it allowed to me to regain control on how
I handle this disease at any given moment...because sometimes this
rollercoaster feels like "just too much".... and I forget what I'm here
for. When I returned home, he called and told me that he wanted to buy me a
modem as well as 6 months of Net-time. My brother, I had no idea his heart
was so big.
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Recently I took my car in for some tire/brake work. I'd just started to
"switch off' in the waiting area and my tremor was returning. The
store-manager told me that one of my rear brake-lights needed to be
replaced. He said their store didn't carry those lights and told me where I
could find this part and how "easy it was to install".
(I can only imagine if my PD-mask turns to horror at the point where
someone suggests operations requiring dexterity that was so precise..and
those times are the "gems" of my days. When everything "clicks". I walk
with confidence, smile and talk to strangers, stretch my body just like a
cat might, and enjoy feeling coordination on both sides of my body....I
digress.)
I explained to the man that I had PD and he told me of a friend of his
("...but he was a bit older than you"). Ten minutes later, he told me my
car was ready and I paid up the bill and got ready to leave. He said "We
fixed that brake light"; I thanked him and left. On the way home, I
thought:
Was there another car in there for repair that is missing one now?
Did he send somebody to a nearby parts store?
I don't know...he just looked like these angels that pop up in my life.
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I want to hear about the PD-Angels in others' lives. People who go that
extra step when you least expect it. People you're thankful for. That's
what I want to hear about. I'm sure it would be a gift to the group.
-David R. Boots
[log in to unmask]
37/5
Latest T-shirt idea: "My other body is symptom-free!"
