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Posted On: Friday, March 28, 2008

"Carol's Story Basically, I consider myself to be shy. I'm a very private person. I live my life like anyone else would except that every now and again, I talk to people about it. And what I am out there talking to people about is my fight against Parkinson's disease, my motivations to keep going and how I deal with the disease every day of my life. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease fourteen years ago. I started to have a lot of stiffness in my back and decided to see an orthopedic doctor. Noticing my slight tremors, the orthopedic doctor referred me to a neurologist, Dr. Richard Hull, who diagnosed me with Parkinson's disease. I really did not know what I was going to do. I had spent most of my life living in Alabama, but had also lived in Germany for 3 years while my husband was deployed there with the U.S. Army. I had been a U.S. government employee and a volunteer with the Red Cross. Suddenly, all of those wonderful experiences seemed dwarfed by the realization that this disease was going to take control of my life. But after a lot of crying and a lot of asking "why me", I knew that the better question to ask was "why not me?" I had always loved helping others - friends, family and even complete strangers. Now, I knew that I had the opportunity to help others cope with their Parkinson's disease while ultimately helping myself. It is very fulfilling to meet people who have the condition and to hear their stories. Some of my activities that have helped me to help others and cope myself include: Attending at least one support group meeting a month Finding the drive to take part in clinical studies concerning Parkinson's Disease treatments Being very involved with the Parkinson's Action Network as the Alabama state Co-Coordinator Traveling throughout the Southeast to speak before various Parkinson's disease support groups Organizing fundraisers for Parkinson's Disease research Lobbying Congress for research funding for the disease But what has possibly made the biggest difference in helping me cope with the symptoms of the disease is a breakthrough technology in prescription medication. PARCOPA is an orally disintegrating formulation of the drug carbidopa-levodopa used to treat Parkinson's disease. PARCOPA is designed to provide patients with improved access to the medications that they need when dealing with tremors, stiffness and slowness of movement. This drug has been so helpful. When I first took it, it seemed to kick in after about 10 minutes. I had never experienced that before. Now, after taking PARCOPA for over a year, I talk to many people at conferences and over the Internet who share my same symptoms. Sometimes people are so surprised to hear that there are choices out there for them, that they can choose different ways to take their medication. I am so grateful that my doctor let me know about my options. I'm so much more at ease. I have started singing in front of people; something I would never have done in the past. Believe it or not, this disease has helped to bring me out of my shell. When I was younger, I was always shy and tongue-tied. Now I have all the nerve in the world. I truly believe it comes down to working hard, making yourself happy, and hoping for a cure. If I have anything to do with it, that cure will come soon. But until then, I will continue to attend meetings, write poetry, help out friends and every once and a while, sing the national anthem in public. Also, I have written a poem about finding a cure for PD, entitled "On The Horizon." This poem was published in a book of poetry compiled by the World Parkinson Congress that convened in Washington, DC during the month of February 2006. I will also continue my constant battle with PD and live my life to its fullest. I am an Army wife, and a retired US Government employee after 30 1/2 years as a Management Analyst. I have been married to my husband Dan almost 36 years, and we have two wonderful sons Robert English and Bryan Meenen. I also have an adorable Granddaughter Sydney Lynne Meenen. My elderly Mother lives near me; and when I have a good day I try to help care for her--she requires constant care most days. A year ago, January, 2007, I was selected for DBS surgery at UAB Hospital, Birmingham, AL. I had completed numerous tests for this procedure and today I’m doing well. "

carolm

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