Gina

Out power walking one night, I was unfortunately hit by a car (the driver was texting) and I suffered a broken foot. While recovering, my fiance told me that I was kicking him all night long. I thought I had suffered some sort of nerve injury that was causing me to twitch and tremble when I was attempting to rest. At first my doctor thought I suffered from restless leg syndrome but after additional testing and several visits to a neurologist, I received my diagnosis. My first reaction was to cry, and cry I did for several days. I was inconsolable. In the past four years, all of my immediate family had passed away – my brother, then my father and finally my mother. As I learned more about it, my fiance at the time admitted to me that he would not be able to face that future with me. It was just too much for him. I thought my whole world had crashed down. But I remember what my mother had taught me – I may stumble, but I never fall and I was determined to learn everything I could about this disease.

It was then that I realized that I was not alone – I had my children and God was with me. As the original accident taught me, we could all be hit by a car tomorrow and then it’s “lights out” so I decided to enjoy my life. I pulled money out of my retirement and took my children to England while my mobility was still high. Sure, I get stiff and sometimes I drop things but that’s okay. I now have a new fiance who is on this journey with me. I am happy.