I was at our monthly CarePartner get-together this past week when our conversation turned away from Parkinson’s and to a more controversial topic. It was an interesting discussion because even though our group is relatively small, we had 8 at the table, different viewpoints were represented. The thing I was most reminded of was that this disease can hit anyone at any time. It is thought of as a disease of the elderly, but that is not true. It strikes men more than women, but it appears that statistic is changing. It is now reported that approximately 40% of those diagnosed are women, 20% are under the age of 50.

There are over 10 million people worldwide diagnosed with this disease. PD crosses all races, genders, ethnicities, socio-economic groups, religions and political affiliations. When I add in family members who serve as CarePartners, it would be ridiculous to assume that we all share the same ideologies. Which is why I shouldn’t be surprised to learn that even in our small group there are disagreements about politics and social issues, yet we all stand together to support one another in this battle.

Our backgrounds have been very different but our paths have crossed now thanks to someone we love being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. I don’t know why we are here, but you should know that even though I may not vote for the same politician or share your personal beliefs, just as you may not like some of the things I say or do, I will always be here to support you in whatever way I can in your personal journey as a CarePartner.

The statistics I mention come from an article I found on the PD Avengers website. It can be found here Not your Grandfather’s Parkinson’s Disease by Rebecca Miller – VISIBLE Magazine.