When my mom found out she had this disease, for a few hours she felt lousy, shocked and  uncharacteristically, some self pity. Remember, my dad had Lewy Body Dementia at that time with a side order of repeated hip surgeries.

Kick me when I am down.

reaching for a story  www.artstudioforchildren.com

She went home and for the next few weeks read everything, scaring the wits out of herself. The prognosis of Parkinson’s is not pretty and not pretty.  I think of her doing this bravely by herself, really confiding in no one. Leaning on no one.  My dad was needing, not giving, at that point in his own life.

She went back to the neurologist and said How many of us won’t end up flailing wildly and declining rapidly?

About 10%, the neurologist told her.

 She said, I am going to be in the 10%.

And so it was.

It has not progressed.

She is at the top of the class. She is my mom.

Is it attitude and stubbornness that get us there? Who knows. But it never hurts.

Sometimes I am naive enough to believe all it takes is attitude and the rest of the time I am disappointed I can’t believe in that.

When we reach for our own story how high do we go?

Thank you mom, for letting me share this. It is a story worth re telling.

We are not our illness, our mistakes, our divorces. We are our attitude.

I love your guts and grit.