Dennis

 

Diagnosed at 46

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease at 46 years old. It started when my arm wouldn’t swing when I walked. A couple of CAT scans later, I was diagnosed with PD. But I was entirely too busy raising my daughter as a single parent. I didn’t have time for Parkinson’s, so I just went on with my life as a telephony engineer. I have been with the same company for 30 years now. I also proudly brought my daughter to rehearsals for many years, as she proved to be an amazing singer. After taking a class at the local community college for work, I decided to keep taking classes, partly to be an example to my daughter, but mostly to stay sharp. I recently started veering off into some artistic classes and I found great joy in making music and videos on the computer. It turns out I have some artistic talent after all. And my plan may have worked; my daughter will be a college freshman in the fall.

I continue to practice yoga as I have done for the past 25 years or so. I swim almost every morning. I try to stay active to keep a few steps ahead of the progression of the disease. I take a walk in the park every morning before work. I suppose I follow the advice of my elderly former karate master when he answered the question, “How do you keep doing this (practice karate) every day for so many years?” His reply: “Because I’m afraid if I stopped doing it, I’ll never start again”.

One of the most fun things I do is look at the concert schedule of the local venue, see what upcoming bands are playing, audition them on YouTube, and then I attend one or two great rock shows a month. Sure, I’m the oldest one there, but being among the music and young people helps make me feel young and healthy again.