Hope you can bear with me for yet one more accolade for Alan! I was moved
to write this today, only to find many others had already written similar
messages.
REST IN PEACE
ALAN BONANDER
1940-1996
I'm in mourning for a friend today. And judging from the outpouring of
grief his family is receiving, many others considered him a friend as well.
He and I had a lot in common. We were born the same year and received
the devastating diagnosis of Parkinson's disease at about the same time.
His condition, however, seemed to progress more quickly tha mine, so he
was able to let me know what to expect down the road.
He retired from his profession before I had to retire from mine, though he
continued to be an active and avid researcher. He told me about his
intestinal shunt and liquid medications, and how they reached his brain
more quickly that way. He told me about his pallidotomy and how it had
helped him, making me think it might be an option for me later on. He
warned me about the dangers of taking too much sinemet, and suggested how
I might avoid doing that. Whenever I wondered if I'd be able to go on
and maintain any quality of life, he showed me it was possible. I
complimented him on his grace, intelligence, and sense of humor, and he
said I made his day.
The remarkable thing about our friendship is that I have no idea what he
looked like. I couldn't tell you if he was tall or short, or what color
his eyes were, or whether he had a full head of hair or was bald. Such
details really didn't matter. I guess you might call us "cyber-friends,"
since we knew each other through our e-mail on the Internet. We were
"introduced" by a mutual friend, Bill Heitman, who also benefited from
his advice and wisdom. He once confessed to me his concern about Bill
and how he was managing the difficulties he was encountering.
It seems rather strange right now not to be able to put a face to his
name as I think about him. And it will seem strange not to be able to
turn to him with questions and concerns as they arise.
I often wonder if there really is a higher power who has something in
mind by giving us this disease, perhaps a mission he would like us to
accomplish. My friend seemed to have found his mission - to give
information and comfort to others who shared his suffering. That mission
may have been accomplished, and that's why he was called home. I don't
really know about that. I just know I'll miss him.
pine`
