When my husband was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s I was frightened. I thought I knew what to expect based on what I had witnessed thirty years ago when my parents struggled with this same disease. My father developed cognitive problems early, I wonder now whether he actually had Lewy Body Dementia. He shut down emotionally and physically and spent his final years in a wheelchair. They had an ugly journey with PD and I was terrified that was what we were facing too. No one had yet told me the adage, “If you’ve seen one person with Parkinson’s, you’ve seen one person with Parkinson’s”. I was preparing for the worst, and I spent a lot of time worrying.

What I have learned since then is that when I spend my time worrying about my husband and our future, it takes me away from what’s happening in the current moment. While some negative anticipation is normal, there is a huge difference between dreading what might be coming or finding ways to live fully and enjoy with what we have right now. If I am caught up in all the things that can go wrong, I miss all the things that are going right.

We are over a decade into this battle, and I finally accept that whatever Parkinson’s Disease has in store for us will come whether I worry about it or not. Instead, I am doing my best to encourage and support my husband as we meet and overcome the daily battles. When those new challenges come, we will face them with courage and positive motivation. Living for today, not worrying about tomorrow, and loving all the way, will help us make it through together.