A couple weeks ago, we received an email from a man who has been living with Parkinson's disease for a number of years. He reports that he is currently quite happy with life. He has many sources of satisfaction including family, exercise, and a support group. However, it was not always that way for him. Early on in his battle with Parkinson's disease he reports, "I was angry, frustrated and depressed. Why me Lord? he often asked himself. "After three to six months it got so bad that Icould not write and had to teach myself to write left handed," he recalls. "The impact on my job being a financial accountant was huge. It was at that stage that I carefully planned and contemplated suicide by various means."
The plans he contemplated included using a gun, a car, or poison. However, his doctor, friends, family, and God were able to rescue him and help him. Each person has different circumstances, including the people who surround and support them. We cannot promise you there will be someone there immediately to help you out of serious depression or frustration. We hope there is. However, we can tell you that there is often a pattern of people hitting rock bottom, and then finding a way to cope with the difficulty. It is common for them to rise to a better place in life. This pattern does not appear for everybody. Nevertheless, if you are confronting profound discouragement, we hope some confidence in a "change for the better" is one ingredient that helps get you through.
We are amazed at the number of happy and optimistic people that we encounter with Parkinson's disease. We realize that this perception goes contrary to some solid scientific research. We cannot explain it. However, we do sense that more people with Parkinson's have a purpose-driven life and many seem to truly take pleasure in their relationships with the people around them.
We hope the world of science continues successfully producing gradually better treatments that chip away at the challenges of Parkinson's disease. We are optimistic that treatments will lean less toward alleviating symptoms and more toward arresting or curing Parkinson's disease. We hope that you share our optimism.
Sincerely,
Matt Nilsen, Editor
mnilsen@myparkinsonsinfo.com
