This appeared on the front page of the Denton (TX) Record Chronicle with a
15 cm x 23 cm (6 x 8.5 inch) color picture of Peg Starbird on Monday, 27
April.
I thought that it would be appropriate to share it with you. I hope I
haven't made any bad typos in transcribing it.
PACT OF LIFE
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Wife aids lives
By Kelley Pound
Staff writer, Denton Record Chronicle
One minute, Margaret Starbird is capable of strolling gingerly across the
room with the help of a cane. The next minute, her limbs are suddenly
frozen -- she is unable to move a muscle as a result of the Parkinson's
disease she has lived with for the past 12 years.
"One thing I have discovered about Parkinson's disease is that you cannot
depend on anything," she said. "Sometimes my body simply fails to respond
to what I've asked of it."
Living a life of perennial physical uncertainty has been an overwhelming
adjustment for Mrs. Starbird, who is an accomplished musician, a 20-year
veteran of public school teaching, and a devoted wife and mother.
Before she was diagnosed with Parkinson's, which is a progressive nervous
disorder of the central nervous system generally associated with tremor, or
trembling, in the arms or legs, Mrs. Starbird taught violin, sang in the
church choir and played the organ.
Twelve years ago, Mrs. Starbird lost partial use of her right arm, so she
went to the doctor for what she thought was a crushed disk in her back.
After two back surgeries, a doctor finally diagnosed her with Parkinson's
after he noticed she displayed some of the classic symptoms of the disease.
Once diagnosed, Mrs. Starbird -- like the more than 1.5 million other
Americans with Parkinson's -- had to come to terms with her progressing
limitations. But while the disease may have limited the use of her body,
it hasn't fazed her mind.
Four years ago, Mrs. Starbird and her friend, Vera Jamison, whose husband
has Parkinson's, founded PACT, or Parkinson's and Caregivers Together.
PACT meets the fourth Wednesday of every month at First Christian Church on
Fulton Street in Denton. An average of 20 Parkinson's patients and
caregivers generally convene to talk about the latest trends in research
and medication, the mental and physical stresses associated with the
disease, as well as to play games and simply relate to one another.
"There is always this camaraderie at the meetings," Mrs. Starbird said.
"The key value of the group is that we've been there, as patients and
caregivers."
Living with Parkinson's involves a daily game of physical give and take.
Because of the progressive nature of the disease, many of the activities,
hobbies, and even careers that patients were once involved with, must now
be modified because of the loss of dependable motor skills.
Mrs. Starbird said that in her case, the on-again, off-again ability to
play violin has been the most difficult adjustment she has had to make.
"I've always been immersed in music up to my neck. And I could feel it
going," she said. "The hardest thing is trying to convince people I know
what I'm talking about. I was not by any means a genius or extraordinary,
but and I could play, and play well. It's difficult to accept it all
trickling down the drain."
Mrs. Starbird, however, is determined to do what she can with her musical
talent, so she began playing violin with the Performance group.
"Sometimes, I can play every note, but other times I can play nothing at
all," she said. "When I do play well, it's just as difficult to convince
people I'm not physically able to do all of the things I could do just a
few minutes ago."
But thanks to the PACT group, Mrs. Starbird can talk about the frustrations
that surround living with Parkinson's with others in the same position.
"The group has what seems to be what the people need," she said. "We have
a good relationship with all of the Parkinson's groups in the Metroplex
with sharing resources and things."
Because April is Parkinson's Awareness month, PACT is sponsoring a
walk-a-thon on May 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Denton High School's
Fulton Field to raise money for instructional materials and resources to be
used at group meetings.
Jean Seward, a professional caregiver and member of the PACT board of
directors, said the event is a grass roots effort to raise money.
"We've been informally working on this for about a month," she said.
"We're not sure what kind of response we'll get because this is the first
time we've tried to do something like this."
Participants are urged to solicit pledges from sponsors prior to the event,
or they can simply make a donation and come out to the track and walk a few
laps in support of PACT.
Mrs. Seward is organizing the walk-a-thon because of her love for the group
and its members.
"When they asked me to come to the meeting and give a presentation, I fell
in love with the group," she said. "They surf the Internet, they're
informed about medications -- I love to work with people who work with
their own physical inconveniences and just keep right on going."
That same "keep on going" mentality is undoubtedly shared by Mrs. Starbird
and her husband, Bill, who will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in
August.
"You have to have a strong relationship to deal with the "Parkinson's,"
Mrs. Starbird said. "But Bill's faith is very strong. You definitely need
someone who will at least work at understanding."
Understanding and awareness of Parkinson's are two things Mrs. Starbird
said she hopes the group will accomplish as a result of the walk-a-thon.
She added that the efforts by Muhammad Ali and Greta Garbo to promote
Parkinson's awareness through events similar to the walk-a-thon have done a
great deal to shed light on an often misunderstood disease.
"Awareness is not where it should be, but it's coming," she said. "I think
that the level of understanding will grow much faster."
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Arthur Hirsch {} [log in to unmask] {} Lewisville, TX {} 972-434-2377
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Always Remember This: Happiness Is Right, So Choose Happiness
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