For a long time now I have tried simply to write the best I can. Sometimes I have good luck and write better than I can.Ernest Hemingway
Yup. That is "the Greatest". Muhammad Ali, well into his 30 year battle with Parkinson's. This photo gives me the creeps. He wears the PD mask.
Some PLWP develop another of PD's special gifts, a mask-like expression like Ali's. This condition is called Hypomimia, which is science-speak for "that guy can't smile."
It's a fact! Some PLWP can't smile or indeed, are unable to show any facial expression.
Why is that you ask?
Well, my optometrist has informed me that eyesight is not affected by PD. She is wrong but it shows how little even some competent specialists know about PD. The disease affects the nerves controlling muscles wherever they might be found. I am told there are 43 muscles in the face. A veritable arcade for a PD feeding frenzy. The 43 muscles act together to form facial expressions. The degree to which you develop the mask depends on (I think) how many of the muscles succumb to our common enemy.
If you have followed this blog, you might remember that I had an earlier encounter with the mask. I don't remember the date of the entry, but it doesn't matter since it has never reoccurred. Not all PLWP develop the mask. I have not and, touch wood, it's not going to get me in the future but if it does, I shall wear that mask proudly.
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