It is easy to get caught up in where we are in the progression of my husband’s PD and forget to take advantage of the opportunities we have for living every day to its fullest. When I start to stress about his tremor or get frustrated because he is moving so slowly, I need to take a step back and consider that tomorrow we may be in a totally different place.

This disease is so unpredictable and the path is so different for each and every person who has it, we can never really know what tomorrow will be like. I remember when we were trying to help my mother care for my father as he reached the later stages of PD. He had a very difficult time with delusions, dementia and violent behaviors. None of us knew anything about the illness or what to expect. It was unbelievably frustrating to be on the outside and not know what to do to help. Now that it is our turn, my husband and I have armed ourselves with education about the disease and have built a great network of support around us so we won’t face the same difficulties they did.

Parkinson’s Disease is progressive and there will be new challenges. I need to make sure that, while we might be surprised by them, we don’t let them overwhelm us. There are going to be good days and bad days, I can’t let that reality impact my capacity for caring. I need to remember to treasure each day for what it is, another day we have together. We can keep moving forward through the stages of PD if we hold tight to each other and the love that brought us together in the first place.  

We learned much about living well with Parkinson’s Disease at the Davis Phinney Foundation for Parkinson’s website where their focus is on helping people with PD and their CarePartners live well today and every day.