Thankful for Parkinson’s? My 5 reasons for gratitude
‘Tis the season of gratitude, when we turn our thoughts to life’s goodness. I have many reasons to be thankful, but is having Parkinson’s disease one of them?
I’ll have to think about that.
OK, I’ve thought about it. The answer is yes. I can find reasons to be thankful even for having Parkinson’s.
Here are five.
1. Having PD teaches me empathy for others who suffer.
As a younger person, I vowed I’d never be the kind of older person who in every conversation goes on and on about their health problems. You know, Great-aunt Dori giving you every detail of her latest outpatient surgery. Or the nice man next door who wears his arthritis pain like a bright-yellow lead vest – being weighed down but also wanting people to know all about it.
I’ve been impatient.
Now that I’m an older person with a major health problem, I understand why suffering people do that. It’s because their health is the thing that’s most on their mind. It affects every aspect of their life.
I get that now. I’m gaining patience and true empathy for those who hurt and want to talk about it.
2. Having PD has led me to interesting people and a vibrant community.
The Parkinson’s community remains largely out of public view. Unless you or someone close to you has PD, this subset of society is not something people typically seek out.
But as someone who’s now “looped in,” I see an active and hopeful community working to make their lives and the lives of others better.
I’ve joined a support group with women I truly care about. I’ve held a fundraiser to support research and participated in others. I seek ways to get involved. Being with people who share my challenges makes those difficulties a little easier to bear.
3. Having PD provides an opportunity to try new things.
When life introduces a tough change, it can be difficult to be your usual pleasant self, and even to get out of bed each morning.
One way I avoid the depths of despair is to keep busy. After my diagnosis, I tried some new things. Exhibit A is this blog. I also learned yoga, read books about Parkinson’s, and prepared for a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro with family members.
Some days are harder than others. But the “make lemonade” approach seems to energize me, and I’m more open about my challenges than I have ever been.
(Read about my bucket list.)
4. Parkinson’s allows me to help others with the disease.
I do this mainly through clinical trials. The vast world of medical research needs me. So far I’ve been poked, pushed, questioned, and observed through several studies.
Sometimes the studies test my usual boundaries (“Send your stool sample in the provided bag using the prepaid FedEx box.”). But it’s all for a good cause, right?
5. Parkinson’s helps me value my mortal existence, whatever I have left of it.
With PD, I no longer can make plans for the future without a huge asterisk. Will I be able to stand upright in 10 years? Can I safely hold a grandbaby in five? Should my husband and I plan for a dream vacation in 2026?
So instead of focusing on the future, I look at the day, or week, at hand. I seek ways to include family in my plans, especially the ones who live far away. Making the most of every day is a skill to develop, but it’s also important to know my limits.
Amazingly, I found five things positive about having a progressive degenerative neurological disease. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.
These affirmations look good on the screen, but the steel-cold reality remains that, as Michael J. Fox puts it, “Parkinson’s is a disaster” for him and many others.
I’m thankful that many disastrous storms come with rainbows.
If you have Parkinson’s, what are your rainbows?
Fox quote is from the movie “Still.” Photo credits: No. 1 RDNE Stock Project, No. 2 Anna Shvets, No. 4 Nguyen Hiep
Brilliant!
Sometimes, we (me 😉 need a reminder when the symptoms override the mind. As I started reading your list of things to be grateful for, I immediately thought of the Community as well. If it weren’t for the Healthcare personnel (I hit the jackpot with my MD Dr.) to the resilient friends with PD and their amazing care partners I’ve met in support, it would surely be a rougher road.
While I think it would take me a while to find 5 things that I’m grateful for with Parkinson’s, there is one other thing I can add…I’m grateful for being optimistic. It buffers this journey, helps me cope with the present, and lets me focus on the future and a cure. That is my rainbow.
Oh, and speaking of ‘a cure’ I’m grateful to MJF and his foundation…seeking that end result. He also said: “…with gratitude, optimism is sustainable”. So thank you Colleen for tackling this tough subject!
Optimism cannot be overstated. Thanks, Cat.
I’m thankful for a mom (with PD) who is an amazing example of staying positive through the storm!
Thank you kindly. 🙂