I convinced him he should go to the chiropractor who was helping me keep my bones together....I had polio as a child and two total hip replacements, and a weekly visit with the chiropractor helped me greatly. After several months, he agreed and went with me. The doctor used a small tool, not manual manipulation, and was able to give him a lot of relief, especially after several falls. The doctor said that by keeping his spine and nerves in good shape, he would be able to keep his balance better. This was true and he had the past two years of treatment. His walking was better and the exercise made life easier for him.. Exercise helped his mind also.
Unfortunately, exercise also was the cause of his death. He went out walking on a bright sunny day in October, away from the retirement home we live in. He walked about two miles and was near a railroad track. I am not sure whether he fell on the track or did not hear the train coming when he was close to the track. The engineer said that he sounded the alarm but could not stop the train in time, and he was killed there.
As his wife and caregiver, I knew how much PD affected his life. He had hallucinations and problems with some of the medications, but always had a good outlook on life. At his funeral, many of the townspeople he had served over the years, came to tell of us dedication to the law and his honesty. He was known as a Christian lawyer. Our six children and 11 grandchildren and his brothers and sisters all came to tell me how much influence he had had in their lives.
I want you to know that although he had Parkinson's Disease....the disease did not have him. We celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary in June, 2006. In addition to his church work, he went on three Mission trips to Haiti to help build churches and one trip in 1995 to Russia to distribute Bibles to people on the streets of Moscow and Stalingrad. The PD started in 1997 and he died on October 6, 2006 - aged 81 years.
