[Neil1]

Five years ago, I was biking in a public park when suddenly my left hand refused to grip the handlebar. I tried a variety of grips but my fingers pried themselves off with each one. I had no other symptoms, and my finger-gripping problem only occurred when I was on my bike, so when I went to the doctor a month later, Parkinson’s never entered my mind. Nevertheless, when my primary doctor administered several PD tests, I don’t recall being surprised. When a neurologist subsequently delivered the unequivocal diagnosis, I was only surprised that he didn’t say ”I’m sorry,” as in, “I’m sorry to have to tell you …” He just said, “You have Parkinson’s.” He said it flat-out, with a kind of macho air, as if he had the guts to deliver bad news to patients without the reticence and hesitation of doctors who let their feelings interfere with their clinical dispassion. I thanked him very much and never went back.