BY KRISTINA LUCAS
Special to the Clarkston News
Dedicated to my Grandma Lucas & my Dad, Jim Lucas
We all sat in my Grandpa’s condo as the sun shined in through the windows that were over looking the ocean. Outside it was a beautiful sunny day, but inside the condo it seemed as if things were dark and something was not quite right. My Grandma had just passed away after suffering for many years with Parkinson’s disease. My Grandma was an amazing woman, as she did her best to not let Parkinson’s stop her from doing the things she loved as long as she possibly could. I know everyone may say this about people in their family, but she truly was a unique and incredible woman. My Grandmother loved dancing, playing the piano, golfing and competing in Bridge. She even received the highest award possible in Bridge, called the ‘Life Master? Award.
Parkinson’s disease has affected my family in many ways and most people aren’t even aware of what it actually is. Parkinson’s can change people’s lives and it is something I want people to realize, so that we can find a cure.
Many people don’t realize how many families Parkinson’s disease affects. The Michael J. Fox organization states that it affects every one in one hundred people over the age of 60. It doesn’t only affect people that are older. While the average age is 60, people have been diagnosed as young as 18. More than 5 Million People Worldwide have Parkinson’s. What many people don’t know about me is that I also have a Dad that fights this disease. Shortly after my Grandma passed away, my Dad’s leg started shaking nonstop. There is no actual lab test to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. My Dad had to visit a neurologist, which is a doctor that specializes in disorders of the nervous system. The doctors will give you certain medicines that help with the symptoms of Parkinson’s. If the medicines make you feel better that is how a lot of times they diagnose you with the disease.
What Parkinson’s disease actually is, is a progressive neurological disease that affects some of the nerve cells in the brain. Progressive means it continues to advance with time, which means more symptoms as time goes by. It is going to be harder and harder to watch my Dad get worse over time, but I know he won’t ever stop fighting. With my Dad having had Parkinson’s disease since 2005, I can not say that it has been easy. But, my family and I have come together and fought with him during this battle. Life goes on with the disease. My Dad also has the support from all of us. My Mom would never leave his side. Today, my Dad has good days and bad days, but whatever day it is you will find him smiling and making jokes. I want people to know that Parkinson’s disease never changes who the person is on the inside. My Dad still tells his funny jokes and has me pull his finger. He can still make a room light up and get everyone to smile. What it actually changes is those nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine, which is a chemical that signals your brain to coordinate movement in your body. With Parkinson’s disease those nerve cells die and your brain doesn’t control your body movements as well.
Parkinson’s, just like most diseases, gets worse over time. More symptoms start showing up and taking more control over your body. Some of the symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremors or shakiness in hands, arms, or legs; slowness of movement or difficulty starting to move, and having a hard time balancing. There can be some good times, where you feel pretty normal, and then there are other times where your muscles get really shaky and you just don’t feel very good.
One thing I feel that is very special about my Dad is his concerns for everyone else around him. With this disease, my family and I take life day by day. Today my Dad is still here, and with that we have a reason to smile.
There is yet to be a cure to solve Parkinson’s, but there are different treatments to make people feel better. Initial and Ongoing-Exercise is really important to keep the muscles from tightening up. Eating healthy is very important, even for everyone its something you should always keep up with. Parkinson’s can lead to depression so watching out for depression and managing it when and if it occurs by talking to someone and/or with medicine. When symptoms start becoming a bit tougher to deal with then medications are introduced to help control them. The most common drug used to help people with Parkinson’s is Levodopa. This medication helps replace the dopamine that is lost in the brain. It helps control the tremors and helps with the control of the muscles. The bummer is that as time progresses the drug will eventually stop working as well and have more side effects. It is very important to eat healthy and exercise daily. It is hard seeing the disease progress, but it makes me realize how blessed I am that my family is so tight knit. We can all push through this and come out stronger on the other end.
Although there is yet to be a cure for Parkinson’s, there are some great foundations that are doing a lot of research to try and find one. The Goal of The Michael J. Fox Foundation is to eliminate Parkinson’s Disease in our Lifetime. Their hope is to find to new drugs that may slow or stop the disease. They are trying to come up with a cure for Parkinson’s so that in the end people will get better and be able to live a longer life. They have raised millions of dollars for research and I believe they will find a cure. I hate that my Dad has to go through this, but at the same time he is strong enough to fight it. Everyone has struggles going on in their lives and my family believes that my Dad has Parkinson’s disease for a reason. It’s a struggle for our family, and I am not going to lie, a lot of my nights are spent in tears thinking about what my Dad goes through, but I have to keep looking at it positively.
April is Parkinson’s awareness month and this is why I am sharing this. I feel like this is a disease that not many people are familiar with, so I am hoping with some of my words about Parkinson’s others are gaining knowledge and will help to find a cure. Finding a cure would help so many people, such as my Dad. To learn more about Parkinson’s and make donations please visit https://www.michaeljfox.org/. In hopes that one day families like mine will not have to watch their loved ones go through these difficulties on a daily basis.