My Partner on this Journey

As I approach my 5th year into my diagnosis, I thought the blog could use a different perspective.  So, this post is written by my hubby Mike who has been beside me on this journey.

 

Here you go….

 

We recite those wedding vows. We believe we mean them. But let’s not kid ourselves – we don’t really know what “for better or worse” means at 23 years old. The future is bright, and it will be perfect!

What if I had reliable intel when we got married that my beautiful bride Lori would be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease some 20 years later? What would my reaction have been?

It’s impossible for 50-Year Old Mike to counsel 23-Year Old Mike, so it’s kind of a ridiculous proposition. But 27 years later, the answer is clear… Older Mike would have told Younger Mike to jump in with both feet.

This sounds like I’m happy that my wife has Parkinson’s disease. Of course not. Believe me, I know the challenges. What I also know is that Older Mike loves her even more than Younger Mike did. And Younger Mike loved her a lot.

One of Lori’s doctors recommended dancing as therapy for Parkinson’s. When she suggested that we take dance lessons, my initial thought was… “Are you crazy??” (on the inside). On the outside, my reaction was… Great! Of course, my prior dancing experience was the “white man’s overbite” and the “pogo” and the “standing against the wall trying to find a way to look cool” – you know, way back in the ‘80’s.

Believe it or not, now I dance (kind of). But more importantly, I’ve learned to move away from the wall and get on the floor. I often tell people that what’s important is not “how” you dance, but “that” you dance.

Would life be better without Parkinson’s? Of course. But we can’t control that now…life is different. And different has been ok so far. We don’t know what the future holds, but we will continue to dance.

Parkinson’s or not…find your “dance.”