I like to think that I win more days than I lose but, occasionally, I need to find inspiration from others. There are extraordinary people living and excelling with Parkinson's disease. Here are just a few:
Jim Weaver, Athletic Director at Virginia Tech
Mr. Weaver recently retired from Tech---he was diagnosed with PD in 2004. Running the athletic department since 1997, he guided Virginia Tech into national prominence and built great facilities on an already beautiful campus. He finally had to step down this year due to PD combined with numerous other ailments but he leaves the profession as a top administrator and competitor. Here is the Washington Post story on Jim Weaver.
Janet Reno, Former Attorney General
"I first noticed my hand shaking ... over the summer and I thought it would go away," Reno told reporters, a number of whom had earlier inquired about her health after noticing her left hand sometimes trembled. "When it didn't, I went to see the doctor.
Ms. Reno was the first woman to serve as Attorney General and her tenure lasted from 1993 to 2001--the second longest in US history. She was diagnosed with PD in 1995 and she is widely regarded as one of the most powerful AGs in the modern time.
A dedicated public servant, Janet Reno also inspired some of the best work Saturday Night Live has ever done.
Ben Petrick, Former Major League Baseball Player
Take twenty minutes and read this profile done by Steve Wulf of ESPN. A great piece of long-form journalism covering an exceptional person.
Bret Parker, Executive Director of the New York City Bar Association
Mr. Parker is in many ways one of the most inspirational figures to those living with PD because he is so damn relatable---he could be a childhood friend or old college roommate. Bret wrote an article for Forbes about his PD secret and also created a Facebook site for those individuals living with young onset Parkinson's disease. A lawyer, father, husband, advocate and active research trial participant; Bret is an exemplar of "living well."
These are just a handful of people living with PD who motivate me to keep moving forward. I could write a novella if I covered all of the individuals whose courage, determination, and attitude buoy my own spirits.
I think it is myopic to simply focus on people with Parkinson's disease---there is true courage all around us and I'd like to highlight one more individual.
Maki Inada, Assistant Professor of Biology at Ithaca College
Dr. Inada is an individual who embodies excellence: undergrad at MIT, grad work at University of California, San Francisco, a gifted teacher, a top notch researcher, possesses a wicked sense of humor (good luck finding that in any School of Humanities and Sciences!), a dedicated mother and wife and, in sum, an amazing person/colleague.
Maki, despite never having smoked, was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 36. I tend to believe that you really do need "fight" in you to battle cancer and Maki certainly has that. An excellent athlete with a positive attitude, she is facing down a disease that most young people simply don't develop (sound familiar) with courage and good humor.
Our daughters share a daycare room and, when I have the good fortune to be there at the same time as Dr. Inada, I'm reminded that there are people like Maki who face down life's biggest challenges and keep coming back for more. There may come a time where Parkinson's could start to gain the upper hand and if that occurs, I know I can learn from Maki's toughness and positive attitude and keep fighting, keep living my life, keep winning each day.
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