Lisa V is well into her second decade of living with PD – her husband’s. A carer, a writer, an artist – she offers her own colourful perspective on YOPD.
Hello beautiful young things! I have so much to tell you, show you. Why? Because you have YOPD, as does my hubby. Now for him in his 18th year of this usurper, he has more of and just to demonstrate my interpretation of this interloper that completes our for nearly half our marriage.
Yep, looking pretty damn cranky, With good reason In 2000, when Pete was diagnosed, we heard M J Fox say ‘Parkinson’s will be cured in the next 10 years’, but for the first time. Yawn. This was about the time our boys were at…er…high school and Pete (pictured below, between the lads) feeling the effects, was hell-bent on getting the boys more involved in the family business. (Cue theme from ‘The Godfather’ – Ed). Actually, that’s a wedding we were attending.
We were Restaurateurs. Point is I became interested in this disease. We were pretty convinced he had it by the time of his diagnosis and we fell for some more scientific-based snake-oil stuff, costing us dearly and making not one damn bit of difference. By 2012, Pete had thank God!! More later, but that’s when I really became intrigued and started researching and writing all things Parkinson’s. And it’s now some nine days off the 200th anniversary of surgeon, doctor and apothecary James Parkinson’s publication of ‘The Shaking Palsy’ or Parkinson’s, as he was later accredited for. You may enjoy his life and the sheer tenacity of his discovery here.
My writing can be a little feisty; I don’t pull my punches. Here’s why; we have many, many advocates that do great work for our cause. Personally, I see my place as running interference with the public – an activist, if you will. We all know how so many good causes are out there pulling on us… Our DNA has (over eons) become so corrupted, if we had a blood sample of, say, Adam or Eve’s, we may find that we’re not even the same species! (Still waiting on the mothership, Lisa? – Ed) For the million reasons we have these diseases, we also have advocates doing their thing, God love ’em – I just ain’t one. So far as YOU go, I will tell you the truth as I see it: promise. Why? Because you’re young and intelligent with a life to live. If you don’t like what I say – tell me, I have thick skin. (Or read something else – other websites are available here – Ed) Before I go, I gotta say something about the Ed – who I see keeps chipping in. She has cold-steel stones and the courage to use them… yay, like me 🙂 But she also has an intense compassion, a delicious humour and a pure heart. That coupled with the unstoppability of the proverbial freight-train makes her our formidable advocate. Thanks G! (Hmmm – move on, Ed)
