Parkinson Positivity

I’ve uncovered recent and not-so-recent articles that essentially say, “I’ve got Parkinson’s disease and my life is good.” No, I didn’t write them.

Today’s NY Times reports that Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson, aged 70, has Parkinson’s, but it’s not slowing him down. The first paragraph says it all:

Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., disclosed Wednesday he has Parkinson’s disease, but said the diagnosis won’t deter him from seeking a new term next year or compromise his ability to serve if he wins.

Isakson was diagnosed in 2013, but maintains a busy and productive work life. “I am busier and have more responsibility today than ever before in my political career,” he says.

Of course, it irks me greatly that he opposes gay marriage. Maybe now that he’s out of the closet on PD, he’ll squeeze into his busy schedule a dinner at my home, where he can meet my husband and me, and be wooed by my husband’s incredible cooking. The way to his heart may very well be through his stomach. Senator, my appointment book’s open!

Meanwhile, last October, the Guardian ran a story on people with Young Onset PD who remain busy and upbeat with plenty of Parkinson Positivity. For example, one woman says:

“I met my new husband after I was diagnosed. We’d been dating and I said to him: ‘Do you want to know why I shake?’ He wasn’t fazed when I told him. He loves me for me; the disease doesn’t matter. We had an amazing wedding. That’s when I feel like my life restarted: my new life with Parkinson’s.”

A follow-up letter to the editor shows a picture of comedian Billy Connolly wearing glasses with fantastic green frames. The caption reads:

Despite a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2013, Billy Connolly, 71, has embarked on a sellout comedy tour of Scotland.

And on and on. To sum up, let’s mull over three little words that Jeremy Wares, another of the Guardian’s Parkies, says. No, not those three little words, but these: