- by Patricia Lightner
It is hard finding a good thing to say about my Parkinson's disease (PD). I can think of one thing right now. I have the ability to recognize when my medicine is wearing off and to act accordingly. I need to work on accepting the limitations and motor fluctuations from this disease.
As I drove to a pizzeria to pick up my order, the tremors of PD began. I was thinking I could always turn around and go back home. Someone else could pick up my order, and also the restaurant does deliver.
I stubbornly persevered. In the end, I am glad I did. However, the interim was rather unsettling. I made it into the restaurant just fine.
The wait was not long at all, that is for someone who does not have PD. My meds were wearing off and I should have been home. Stress makes PD worse. And yes, I do get stressed at times like these in public.
As I waited I noticed a cute little boy of elementary school age sitting by himself eating his pizza. I wondered why he was alone, although he did seem quite content.
My order was ready; unfortunately I was not. PD makes it difficult for me to stand in one spot for even five minutes at a time. Even if I rock back and forth, or even try to walk around I can freeze up. I am unable to move when I try to take a step, my feet just freeze. That is what happened when I tried to leave after paying for my order.
By this time the little boy finished his dinner and was on his way out the door. Like the little gentleman he is, he held the door open for me. I thanked him and related that I was having a little problem moving and that he could go. He just stood there, not saying a word, as he continued to hold the door for me until I was able to reach the door and make it through.
He did not have the impatience that quite frankly some adults show when I freeze in public. This little boy had a resolute look on his face. It was as if he was saying, "I will stand here and hold this door for you as long as it takes for you to move."
As I haltingly reached my car, one of the employees going to make a delivery asked if I needed help. I said I was all right. This gentleman stopped to speak with me. "You have Parkinson's, don't you?" he asked in a very kind and concerned voice.
I answered that I did, and that my tremors must have given me away. He said he had seen PD tremors before. Then he proceeded to tell me not to worry because just last week he had read of the success occurring with a surgical procedure to treat PD. He also noted that there are always new drugs being introduced, and that people are working very hard to find a cure. He said in a very reassuring voice for me not to worry and that everything will be all right.
This lady thanks two very special gentlemen.
