I’m grateful to be celebrating another birthday with Parkinson’s disease
My future is uncertain, but I'm thankful for how far I've come
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My birthday is this month, and I’m turning 49. I’m not doing anything particularly exciting to celebrate, just dinner with some friends and my husband. Low-key birthdays are fine by me, but it is a big deal to be entering the last year of my 40s.
I started this decade with a bang. Nine years ago, I threw myself a huge party. We invited about 20 friends to a special dinner at a fancy steakhouse in Boston. There was Champagne, cake, and a birthday tiara, and it was a ton of fun. We laughed and ate until the wee hours. I had never had a birthday anything like that before — or since!
That was just four years after my diagnosis with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. At the time, I was pretty symptomatic, but I’d been dealing with the news of my illness long enough that I felt I had reached a “new normal.” And while I don’t think I could have articulated it at the time, I think I wanted a big celebration because I wasn’t sure I’d make it to the next decade milestone.
I don’t believe I was actually thinking I’d be dead in 10 years, but I wasn’t sure I’d be fit for a night out with friends and cake and tiaras in 10 years. This disease has so many unknowns, and Parkinson’s doesn’t follow any rules. It was scary to enter my 40s without a road map.
Of course, no one knows what will happen on any given day. You could be in a car crash or win the lottery, and your life could change in an instant. But looking back over these nine years, I realize how scared I was and how I wanted to have at least one special night to look back on, because I wasn’t sure how many more there would be.
I’m still here
Do you know the saying, “Man plans, God laughs?” Well, clearly, he is laughing. Not only am I alive nine years later, but I’m doing great. I have been blessed with almost a decade more of birthdays, work, family, friends, travel, and memories. Fifty is just around the corner, and I’m still here!
At the time of my 40th birthday, I didn’t yet know about the miracle of deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery and how it would change my life and give me hope for decades more. When I got DBS surgery two years later, in 2019, it was like resetting the clock, while also slowing it down. I went from four or five doses of Sinemet (carbidopa/levodopa) a day to half a pill twice a day. And in the nearly seven years since my surgery, I haven’t increased my dosage, though I have adjusted my “voltage” and DBS settings many times.
Now, as I stand on the doorstep of 49, I still don’t know what my future holds with Parkinson’s or anything else in my life. I do know that I’m grateful for every day, every year, every person, and every party that’s helped get me through.
I’m still crazy young to be dealing with Parkinson’s disease, but I also have a lot of fight left in me. And you better believe that my 50th birthday party will be a doozy! And I have ideas for 60, too.
Note: Parkinson’s News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Parkinson’s News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Parkinson’s disease.
Steve Lazarus
Thanks Mollie for the uplifting summary. I am the CarePartner for Christine who was diagnosed 9 Years ago at 56 as she refused to medicate until she turned 60 and the Doctor said,"we don't want to miss the window, I see your balance changing a bit." Christine was in Sinimet for 4 years and had increased doseage a few times up to 2 pills four times a day. We were about to schedule DBS last May when the Doctor mentioned that Apomorphine, distributed by Onapgo, had just been approved in the USA and maybe we should try that before a major surgery. What a game changer!! People could not believe the positive impact on Christine. She has always worked out like a warrior, which was why she did not medicate for a few years, and she continues to work out with trainers three times a week and on her own almost every other day. Neither Christine or I know the future, and the fact is no one does, with Parkinsons or not, we sometimes just think we are in control. Love Your attitude about thinking about Your 60th Birthday celebration already!! That is the attitude we need to live with, along with Gratitude and appreciation, Every day. There is so much going on in the science end of the Parkinsons spectrum, so all we can do is stay as positive as possible and stay in the now and enjoy life. Take as many notes as you can on any changes and communicate with your Partner and Doctors. Keep Moving and God Bless, Steve
Afia Stephen
This was such a meaningful and heartfelt reminder of where true strength is really found. I love how it points back to the truth that following Christ is not about depending on our own efforts, but about allowing His grace to sustain and transform us daily. So often we think strength means always being in control, yet this beautifully reminds us that real strength comes through surrender, trust, and staying rooted in Him.
It also made me think of Bradley Hawkins’ Unshakable Life: Purpose, Abundance, Eternal Perspective, which carries a similar message about living with an eternal perspective and building our lives on God’s constant truth instead of unstable circumstances. That kind of reminder is so valuable in seasons when life feels uncertain or overwhelming.
Thank you for sharing such an encouraging message. It’s both humbling and uplifting at the same time, and a beautiful reminder of God’s steady grace in every season.