Parkinson's doesn't mean the end of your life
It's the final day of April. That means it's the end of Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month. Thirty days in which our community tries to make the world aware of this disease that affects millions of people.
One thing I always like to let people know is that a P.D. diagnosis is not the end of your life....far from it. There are many patients that live productively for decades after being diagnosed.
I was looking at a list of athletes who had Parkinson's. Two of them, Roger Bannister and Jimmy Piersall, died last year. Bannister was 88. Piersall was 87. I'd take that right now...and so would many others in my age group...Parkinson's or not.
I remember the day I heard the words, "You have Parkinson's Disease." That was more than six years ago. They were followed by these words, "Don't worry too much. You'll likely die of something else far down the line."
Not the most comforting words but as I've learned on this journey, probably true.
Yes, having Parkinson's will change your life. Yes, you'll go through some difficult changes and challenges. However, if you eat right, exercise and take your meds, in a lot of cases life with Parkinson's is more than manageable. It's not that much different than the advice people in their 50's-60's without Parkinsons hear. To be honest, I'm still working on this and hope to do better...we'll see.
So today we close out April and say good-bye to another Parkinson's Disease Awareness Month. See you next year, and the year after, and the year after.......
Related Post: Fifteen athletes with Parkinson's Disease
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