One woman's battle with Parkinson's

Parkinson's disease has moved into the spotlight in recent years, to a great extent due to the public lives of well-known sufferers such as actor Michael J. Fox, Pope John Paul II and boxer Muhammad Ali. Michael J. Fox in particular, through the Michael J. Fox Foundation, has brought publicity to young-onset Parkinson's, which affects people diagnosed before age 40, and to the need for stem-cell research to find cures for this and other diseases.

April is Parkinson's Awareness Month. Over 100,000 Canadians and 6.3 million people worldwide have Parkinson's. Find out more at www.parkinson.ca.

Ontarian Lynda McKenzie was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 20 years ago, when she was just 34. Here she describes her battles with the condition and her attempts to win the war.

It happened quickly. I was late taking my medication. There I was, at our local mall, sitting on a bench, stuck. My arms felt like they weighed a hundred pounds and my feet were glued to the floor. I had my medication in my purse, but the trick was in being able to actually open it. I felt as though I was moving through thick, wet cement as I fumbled in my purse and retrieved my pill box. Finally I swallowed my pills. I tried not to panic as I sat there, rigid, unsmiling, trying to look as though I wanted to be there. I mentally planned my route from the bench to the planter, to the display unit and to the phones. I cautiously stood up, steadied myself and shuffled to the planter, trying to ignore the curious stares around me. When I pointed myself in the direction of the display unit, I heard a familiar voice. It was a good friend of mine who insisted on taking me home. What a relief! But then, it wasn't the first or the last time I got stuck somewhere.

The road from denial
It was an honest mistake when I stood in front of those people and told them that all they had to do to make their symptoms go away was have a positive attitude. My intentions were good. At the time, it worked for me. In my mind, the symptoms did go away. I pretended a lot then. I could conquer this masked marauder that had invaded my body. I could ignore it, get past it, deny it.

How wrong I was.

My gloves were on. I was ready to fight. But every task, every part of my normal routine became more of a challenge. The faster I ran, the slower I got. I was late for appointments, I cancelled plans with friends, I fell asleep during the day because I couldn't sleep at night. I lost my driver's license, and I spent many hours battling painful rigidity and wild, involuntary movements.

How Parkinson's reveals itself
Parkinson's disease is like that. Some people battle with the tremor that begins as soon as they rest their hands in their laps. For others, the ultimate challenge is the leg that drags, the writing that becomes illegible, the soft voice that people have difficulty hearing. For many it is the depression that wraps them in a thick black blanket. All people who battle with Parkinson's have their own unique combinations of symptoms to contend with.

My journey with Parkinson's began when I was 34, in 1987. I thought I had it all. I had my own business, a young son and daughter, a home, a supportive family and great friends. Then one more ingredient was thrown into the soup: Parkinson's. As there is no definitive way to diagnose Parkinson's, no blood test or x-ray that positively says "yes" or "no," I was diagnosed by being prescribed Sinemet, a combination of levedopa and cardopa, and told to come back in a month or so. If I felt better, that meant the drug was working and I had Parkinson's. If it didn't, I was off the hook and I would be still searching for an explanation for my symptoms.

The following month I scoured the library for information on Parkinson's disease. All I could find were pictures of older ladies and men hunched over and using canes. That wasn't me! Meanwhile, I had stopped dragging my right leg on walks with my neighbour, I could write out bills at my store, and I realized that the whole world wasn't going deaf anymore -- I was now able to talk louder. I began to feel better.

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