I received an email
from someone concerned that they may be in the beginning stages of Parkinson’s
disease (PD). I have met others who have PD, but not someone in the throes of
wondering if their symptoms indeed result from Parkinson’s disease.
I can’t stop thinking
about them because the email takes me back to my diagnosis, to the days of
wondering what was going on inside and outside of me. I can relate so well, and
I can understand all too well.
They are scared,
wondering if they have Parkinson’s. I can look back and see myself where this
person is now — scared, uncertain, and desperate. I can now see that although
the future is still uncertain, I have been blessed with a wonderful doctor, the
support of friends and family, and more than anything, the opportunity to
encourage others with empathy.
I was not able to see
those things at first. Fear took away everything good in my present and future
and left hopelessness.
Isn’t the future
uncertain for each of us, whether we have been diagnosed with a disease or not?
None of us know how the end will turn out or if tonight will be the last time
we will tuck our babies into bed.
I recall a favorite
quote at times like these: “Dance as if no one were watching, sing as if no one
were listing, and live every day as if it were to be your last.”
That is how I want to
live each day, whether I am fighting Parkinson’s or making peace with it. I
want to dance without reserve, even if I stumble. I want to sing at the top of
my lungs, even if others think I’m still whispering. I want to live each day as
if it is my last opportunity for anything, even if I think I’ll be given a
tomorrow.
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