"My Parkinson's experience so far"

A little under eight years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and I was, to be honest, not happy at all. I felt that I had been dealt a bad hand and pretty much decided that I would hide it and basically avoid accepting it or dealing with it. 

Classic denial behaviour.

I avoided any group activities because that would remind me of the diagnosis and I didn't want to be reminded of what lay ahead. I would attend the six monthly doctor appointments at the Osborne Park Rehabilitation Unit and any other scheduled visits but nothing else. Gradually I interacted more with the Parkinson's nurses - particularly Katrina - the physiotherapy staff such as Simone, Anita, Julie, Ralph and others , the occupational therapists who arranged for adjustments to be made at home to assist me and most recently the speech pathologists Tayla and Rachel.

Gradually I have come to realise that even though I may have drawn a one in a hundred short straw by being affected by Parkinson's, I have been blessed to have access to an absolutely priceless resource - The Parkinson's Clinic and the wonderful staff that work there. 

Their patience, skill and kind, caring attitude have made my journey much easier and I have even started participating in group exercises in the physiotherapy and speech pathology departments - both things I never thought I would do.

Thank you to all the staff at the Parkinson's Clinic, from the always dapper Dr Andrew to the smiling ladies at the front reception desk. Parkinson's is much easier to bear because of your efforts.