Why heroes are important in life with Parkinson’s disease
A columnist shares how her hero, Michael J. Fox, has inspired her
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” — Christopher Reeve
A hero is typically admired for their achievements and noble qualities, while a classical hero might be someone who dies in the pursuit of honor. From my perspective, a hero is someone who overcomes adversity and does it with a smile. I suppose we all have our own definition.
Throughout our lifetimes, we’ll likely have multiple people we look up to and admire. While your childhood hero may have been a cartoon character or a musician, your role models probably look a bit different in adulthood.
I decided to take a survey to see who my family’s heroes are. Unsurprisingly, I initially got some silly answers from my oldest daughter. (I will not name her “heroes” to avoid offending readers!) But in the end, everyone named other family members. I was the outlier, as I chose Michael J. Fox.
In my opinion, Fox is the ultimate hero in the Parkinson’s community. His symptoms began with a twitching pinkie finger and now include tremors, rigidity, and difficulty speaking. What started as a talented actor’s 1991 diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson’s disease has evolved into a nonprofit that has funded $1.5 billion in research programs.
In addition to his dedication to finding a cure for Parkinson’s, Fox has also worked to improve acceptance and understanding of the disease. This means a lot to me because my husband, Arman, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 2009.
I was thrilled to have the opportunity to learn more about my hero when “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” was recently released on Apple TV. While I was eager to watch the documentary about his journey with early-onset Parkinson’s disease, I was also somewhat apprehensive. It can be scary for me to see the future of this disease, and it’s often easier to live in the present. But the film was fantastic, and my hero did not disappoint. His family is beautiful, happy, and seems to laugh through the hard times — exactly as I hope my family will continue to do as Arman’s disease progresses.
We can look to our heroes for inspiration in both good times and bad. If your hero is a family member or friend, they can be a shoulder to cry on, someone who will dry your tears and help you to your feet when you’re down. And on your best days, they may cheer for you, loudly or quietly, from the sidelines.
It’s true that not all heroes wear capes. They come in all shapes and sizes and may not look how we expect them to. Who knows, you may be a hero to someone without even knowing it.
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.
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Comments
Hansheng
This topic"hero" is so great, it makes me excited.
However, at first I was frustrated, as you say, " heroes are usually admired for their achievements and noble qualities, and classical heroes may be people who die in pursuit of honor."I am an ordinary man, without great achievements and noble qualities, nor die in pursuit of honor. I have no hope and no chance to be a hero.
But your next words gave me the courage，“from my perspective, a hero is someone who overcomes adversity and does it with a smile." I can smile in the face of adversity (Parkinson's disease). I can say that I am a 50 percent hero.
Trust me, I can definitely do that.
Thank you, Jamie.
Jamie Askari
By smiling while dealing with a disease like Parkinson's, you are delfnately a hero!! Thanks for reading!
Eric ragonesi
I’d like to be some sort of motivator hero call it whatever. If I could be. I’d like to do some thing I enjoy yet it could motivate others. I’ve been diagnosed with Parkinson’s just 10 years. I’ve lost my ability to play the sport I love that’s tennis. My driving licence has been revoked due to my double vision, and also having to cope sleep attack. A very tough form of insomnia. I was getting so little sleep each day. That I started to drop to sleep while having breakfast. I’d just fall asleep 💤 and my head would be in my breakfast bowl. I’d wake in a moments with a grease on my face from the breakfast dish, or I’d fall off my chair. I’ve had some pretty tough times with pd. I was falling over many months 10 times a. Day. Luckily for me I’m able to fall reasonably safely. I new it was a matter of time when I would not get my hands out. To break my fall. Thankfully I’m better with falling now. but I had a little bad spell only last week and fell 6 times in a hour while playing table tennis. My sleep is much better thank god. This with cramps was the the toughest period I’d ever had to suffer. Along my journey with pd there’s been seeing alucations (seeing people) fighting in my sleep,it goes on a little.
I’m pretty tough I believe. It’s probably my nature and upbringing. I was an amateur and professional boxer. I done some years also learning martial arts. This helps a lot with falling. Im blessed and luckily been successful in business. So im not struggling financially. I’m now 66 years Young. Love life still. Perhaps even more. My moto if don’t kill me I’ll get stronger or similar.
Ps sorry about spelling and grammar. I was a little lazy at school. Kindest Regards to all
Jamie Askari
I love your "motto", my husband has a similar one. It sounds like you have had a rough go of it, but you seem like a very strong person who won't give up! Keep fighting the fight and thanks for reading!