My husband has a beautiful smile. I don’t get to see it as often anymore, thanks to his Parkinson’s Disease but when it is there it brightens my day. What I do get to see more of is the stiffness, the pain, the tremors he faces every day and it frustrates me that I cannot make it better for him. Then, he reaches out and takes my hand and all is well again.

There have been times when his physical condition has completely taken over our lives such as when he first came home from his shoulder surgery a couple of years ago. Granted, this was not PD related yet it was compounded by his diagnosis. Medications, exercises, therapy all had to be coordinated to support his shoulder recovery and his continuing PD plan. I became a giver of care as opposed to a partner in the journey and it became exhausting. The only thing that kept me going was the memory of better times and the knowledge that we would get back there again.

We worked together to get through that challenge and actually have gone through another surgery, this time Deep Brain Stimulation specifically related to his PD. It was not as intense and we were back on track almost immediately with significant benefits to his Parkinson’s symptoms. These experiences have taught me to be patient and to hold tight to every good day we have. Those warm memories and loving smiles will help get me through anything Parkinson’s can throw at us.