I'd like to agree with to Jeanette's recommendation for the
book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." The author, Harold
Kushner, wrote it in an attempt to come to terms with the
lifelong illness and subsequent death of his 14 year old son, who
suffered with progeria (rapid aging). Kushner is an American
rabbi, but I think this book can be appreciated by people of all
religions, and it has been translated into many languages.
It is Kushner's belief that there is really no acceptable
answer to the question of why illness and tragedy strike certain
people, but that God can neither cause nor prevent these
occurrences. Instead he sees God as the source of the strength we
need to go on living, in spite of these tragedies, and equally as
important, as the source of compassion and caring that inspires
us to reach out and help one another. I first read this book a
number of years ago, but at that time didn't find it very
meaningful in my life. However, I re-read it shortly after being
diagnosed with PD, and found it gave me the strength to get
through those first few weeks. There was nothing anyone (even
those closest to me) could say that brought me as much comfort as
this short book. I often go back and re-read it when I'm feeling
depressed, and each time I come away with new strength and
insights.
As I was writing this message, on a Saturday morning, the
phone rang. It was my neuro, who I had been trying to reach all
week with a question about my Requip dosage, but we kept on
missing each other's calls. He said he was at the recent AAN
convention, and called because he wanted to let me know about all
the promising research on PD treatments reported on at the
meetings, and that I must remain hopeful for the future. He said
at the end of the convention, there was a summary session on the
36 most important papers presented - ten of the 36 dealt with PD.
(of course, I took this opportunity to ask for his support for
Udall bill funding.)
Kushner says "...how does the man suffering from cancer, or
the woman with Parkinson's disease, find the strength and sense
of purpose to get up and face each new day...? The God I believe
in does not send us the problem; He gives us the strength to cope
with the problem... God, who neither causes nor prevents
tragedies, helps by inspiring people to help. As a nineteenth-
century Hasidic rabbi once put it, 'human beings are God's
language.'"
Linda Herman
