A Parting Parkinson's Tribute

Posted by Jennifer Gerics Jul 2, 2007

June 2007 was Parkinson's disease month here at Suite 101's Neurological Illness site. I currently know someone who is suffering from one of the Parkinson's-plus syndromes: one of my oldest friends is now taking care of her afflicted mother, Eileen. It's crazy to think that parents can suddenly fall ill---- they are our cheerleaders, caretakers, and protectors. How can the tables suddenly turn, where the children become the parents?

My friend confided that her mother was becoming unresponsive to any news she told her. Her family felt that Eileen maybe "just didn't care." Unfortunately, the truth is that Eileen began to show Parkinson's signs: lack of emotion, lack of facial expressions, even apathy. When Eileen began to fall, this diagnosis became more clear.

Please remember that those who mothered us may suddenly turn and need our mothering. And so life goes....