In year 18, we reintroduced swimming into Andy’s life. We were careful and I walked beside him in an indoor pool as he regained that ability. We practiced with and without a life vest, mask and snorkel.
Andy has loved weight lifting for most of his life and Parkinson’s stopped that activity for years, because it was too dangerous. Nowadays, I drive Andy to the gym and he works with a gifted personal trainer who has a deep understanding of Parkinson’s challenges. His trainer is also humorous and kind and enjoys Andy’s company in this win/win weekly date. When I pick him up he is always laughing with his trainer/friend and other people in the gym call out, “Goodbye Andy, see you next week!”
Watching sports has always been a passion of Andy’s. Our son, Brendan, got him involved in a low stakes football betting group. During the NFL season Andy studies the teams. I set him up with my computer so he can make the weekly picks. Next, he has to communicate those picks to Brendan which means he has to set up his I Pad and send a video though the Marco Polo app. Sometimes he can do all these steps on his own but many times he asks for my help and I remind him how to accomplish all he needs to using the technology at hand. He follows the games with a personal investment in the outcomes and they are fun to watch.
I have made sure that travel continues to be part of our lives. It takes quite a bit of planning to work around Andy’s significant limitations but we have enjoyed adventures from camping and rowing each morning on Catalina Island to traveling with our family in India and Scotland.
Andy designed a 120 foot long suspension bridge and built it with a group of Indian and Tibetan men in years 5 and 6 of Parkinson’s.
He alpine skied again in years 10 and 11 of Parkinson’s but decided the danger was too much and chose to end that activity.
In year 17 of Parkinson’s we drove to Utah and camped for a week, visiting national parks and stupendous canyons. We were bound by the distance Andy was capable of walking but then we discovered the free shuttle at Bryce canyon and he took it from point to point wile I hiked and we met at each breathtaking overlook.
In year 18, we reintroduced swimming into Andy’s life. We were careful and I walked beside him in an indoor pool as he regained that ability. We practiced with and without a life vest, mask and snorkel.
We’ve just returned from 3.5 weeks in Hawaii where I organized a home exchange and we were able to swim in the ocean every single day. Andy reveled in seeing brilliantly colored fish and sea turtles as he relaxed into the natural movement of the waves supporting him.
There are failures along this creatively active way of living in wellness while having Parkinson’s disease. If we walk too far, Andy’s coordination decreases and it has been scary if we are too far from safety. Using my computer and his I Pad is a challenge every single time and sometimes patience gets lost and tempers are short.
The beauty is that when life continues to be lived in real ways that do carry risk, at least one Parkinson’s patient of 18 years does not have the need or compulsion to engage in contrived risky behavior.
Consciously living in wellness while also living with a disease, is something to consider may allow a person to access well being within other more difficult symptoms.
Be the first to reply