A long and busy year has nearly passed since I wrote “And So This Is
Christmas” on Christmas day of 1997. Much has happened in that time - but
how much has changed? The fridge and I are both still hanging in there, the
desert winds are still making a mess of my patio, and I have a strong
suspicion that even if I manage to sleep in late this year Santa is still
not going to leave ‘the cure’ under the tree for me.
In many ways 1998, a year which had such promise, has been a disappointment.
The euphoria of seeing the Udall Bill become the Udall Act has evaporated in
the hot, dry winds of political reality, and Tasmar proved such a mixed
blessing that even in those bits of the world where it is still available it
appears to be being used by less and less people.
But in other ways 1998 has been a year of hope. New surgical procedures
became available, several fields of research, including gene therapy, moved
closer to human trails, and most exciting of all it begins to look as if a
way may be found to stimulate re-growth of human brain tissue. Even Tasmar,
though it may have failed us in the short term, proved that COMT inhibitors
have the potential to help a great many people, which leaves me looking at
endacapone with a wary interest.
Another ‘positive’ from 1998 was that our desire for visibility got a big
boost with the ‘coming out’ of Michael J. Fox. Our community has gained a
powerful potential weapon in the battle for the hearts and minds and
research dollars of the public.
But one thing 1998 has not brought – a thing it never promised and which we
could not expect of it – is a quick fix. Progress has been made – the cure
is coming, but it is not imminent. Which brings us back to “And So This Is
Christmas”. One thing that has not changed in the last year is the need for
us as individuals to find and take what is good from each day even as we
wait for/work for the cure.
Happiness is still wanting what we have –not having what we want.
Dennis
(PS should anyone be interested in re-reading
“And So this Is Christmas” they will find it at
http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/parking/PS1.htm)
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Dennis Greene 49/dx 37/ onset 32
"I am in the hands of the unknown God,
he is breaking me down to his own oblivion
to send me forth on a new morning, a new man."
(D.H. Lawrence)
[log in to unmask]
http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/
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