The Gate

There is a gate with no fence
But it is shut tight and locked
Yet I stand on the outside and wait
My time is a thread cocooning the lock
But the clock has its hand on the gate

Forgive my exhaustion
And trembling hands
& note I'm unable to smell
Caution's my manner and yes you can say
I am obviously doing quite well

But beyond the gate
The time scurries by
Like a mouse in a styrofoam cage
It gnaws at the thread
Cocooning the lock
It is early and yet it's too late

So forgive all the clues
And the witnesses too
& those who refuse to go straight
They stumble in twos
Or threes maybe more
And stammering pass through the gate

Forgive my demeanor
And forgive my slurred speech
Just forget that it isn't a dream
The time starts to swell
My body is done
For I never was all that I seemed

Then I awake and count all my toes
My eyes try hard to relate
At the end of my bed relentless and pure
Stands a fence without any gate

Pseudo science??

I was talking to a fellow boxer yesterday and we were discussing who gets PD.  Here are some of the characteristics of a PD prone personality (reprint from an earlier entry)

Your chances of being a victim of PD increase if:

1. you have red hair
2. you are male
3. you are >60
4. you are Amish (in which case, you are probably not reading this)
5. you have a close relative with PD
6. you have suffered a head trauma at some point(s) in your life
7. you are caucasian
8. you are a junkie

There are many other weird and wild statistics, but still, I wouldn't worry about PD - unless your hand is doing a 2-step. Then, go see a doctor.

By the way, if you are a black haired, drinker and smoker, your chances of being a victim are reduced; but, then you have to worry about these little beauties: cirrhosis, emphysema and lung cancer.

On being Up the Wahzoo,

Here are some facts which we all know, since the only good source of knowledge is experience, and we all have that up the wahzoo.

  This is just a refresher course, to get you all anxious again,

1.     What is Parkinson's disease?  Formerly called the shaking palsy, Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease. Movement is normally controlled by dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between the nerves in the brain. When cells that normally produce dopamine die, the symptoms of Parkinson's appear and you know that symptoms don't appear until 80% of those cells have already died. 

2.       Isn't it a disease of old people?  Certainly.  Well, that depends on your definition of "old". I am acquainted with PWP in their 40's through to their 80's but I believe the early 60's for onset is not out of line.  Michael J. Fox was 29 when diagnosed.  I was 64.

3.       Why me? researchers don't have a clue.  they have lots of circumstantial evidence but I think they probably view PD as a random occurrence.  The more of this circumstantial evidence they find, the closer they will be to a cure.

4.        Thanks to all people trying to find a cure.  When they do, the entire world will know through reliable sources so don't believe scoundrels who say they were cured just by taking a certain herb, etc.  At the moment there is no cure and none in the offing; although, significant advances in understanding the disease are being made and so we fight on.

5.           Did you know a 12-year-old girl is the youngest recorded victim  I have read that a 3-year-old also suffered from PD.

6.            I have never doubted the benefit of exercise.  Try this.  Allow your tremor to appear and you start walking at a reasonable pace.   Fifteen minutes into an hour walk  I would notice my tremor fading and then disappear over the next ten to twenty minutes.  That was 8 years ago and scientists are now recommending it, especially for PWP.  Get off the couch.   

7.             We all will live a normal life-span but it might not be a welcome life-span.   Dopamine-producing cells will just keep on  leaving us, but don't worry, be happy and live for today.
  
8.              You are not alone.  About 550 Canadians a month are diagnosed each year.  Join Rock Steady Boxing or a support group. It helps.        



Alternative wording - definition


(i)    "wazoo" - Used almost exclusively with "up the-" as in "up the wahzoo" - meaning being overwhelmed and bursting.  Sometimes used pejoratively as a substitute for asshole

STATISTICS I am amazed. Thank you

statistics

Where are your readers this past week:

Canada 108 United States 32 United Kingdom 9 Spain 8 Russia 5 Australia 4 Portugal 4 France 3 South Korea 3 Philippines 3

Total to date approx 61,000 different readers who have read (or looked at) 104,404 pages.

Learn about one man's attitude toward  Parkinson's and life while winning The Amazing Race Canada with his son Tim Jr

The Remarkable Mr. H

Every so often you meet a hero. They wear no golden greaves nor ride silver steeds but look very much the common man with uncommon ideas. That is my kind of hero. Take it from this chap:

“My own heroes are the dreamers, those men and women who tried to make the world a better place than when they found it, whether in small ways or great ones. Some succeeded, some failed, most had mixed results... but it is the effort that's heroic, as I see it. Win or lose, I admire those who fight the good fight”(George Martin)

Sound familiar?

For those of us at U-turn Parkison's, we are well aware of someone who fits the bill. He won beaucoup dinero with his son in The Amazing Race CANADA

The remarkable Mister H. has Parkinson's but he decided to fight the unfightable, to rejoice in pyrrhic victories while waiting for a cure. He persevered and founded U-turn Parkinson's and ,

He wrote a book, rated 5 out of 5 stars by Amazon

And he had PD all that time!

You can't do any better than 5 out of 5 stars. The book is well written, interesting and easy to read. Its audience should not be restricted to PD people. It should be read by everybody for it contains an important message, a way of life, maybe a life-Changer.  The message is brought to life through the struggles of the author and his son in the Amazing Race. The Race is much harder than you see of T.V. The book is available at Amazon.

LINKS

1.  Tim's homepage  Author, nurse, speaker, founder, renaissance man

George Chuvalo Tough

I watched the grainy figures on the tv.  Black and white as seen through the translucences of gauze.  Muhammud Ali up against George Chuvalo, Canadian champ, and the toughest opponent Ali ever beat.  It was brutality and beauty but in the end, Ali won.

I always think of that fight.  Chuvelo was being pummelled but he stayed upright and got in a few hits that rocked Ali.  

I am a member of U-turn Parkinson's boxing club, a Rock Steady Boxing affiliate.

But this has little to do with real boxing.  We don't hit each other; rather, we are taught a combination of hits and our opponent is the heavy bag.  I learned there is a certain beauty to the sport, a delicate dance if you will.  The class also features resistance training, stretching - you know, all the things that studies show can slow the progress of the disease and in some cases, reverse it.

We do it because it gives us a sense of control over a  "disease" that has been described as uncontrollable.

But there is more to it than that.  I also go for the company of my fellow victims.  At U-turn Parkinson's, there is a lightness in the air.  We try our best for our leader and her squad of dedicated volunteers but the dominant emotion is laughter.

The members of the class accepted me and we bonded quickly.  We share our stories, our setbacks and celebrate our triumphs.  Above all, we encourage one another.

In short, we are a family.

We are George Chuvalo, up against a formidable opponent but, like George, we will never give up.

After the fight, Ali went to a hospital; Chuvalo took his wife out for drinks.

Rock Steady Boxing at U-Turn Parkinson's, open house

U-TURN PARKINSON'S BOXING FOR PEOPLE LIVING WITH PARKINSON'S 

 OPEN HOUSE

WHEN

• SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2019 FROM 1100 hrs to 1300 hrs

     WHERE

•    
                            SERRATUS MOVEMENT CENTRE

• 55 Henlow Bay, Winnipeg Manitoba  Rock Steady Boxing participants attest, and academic institutions, such as University of Indianapolis and Butler University, are reporting and documenting the improved quality of life among RSB boxers. Discovery of a cure may be many years away but in the last seven years, there is evidence that progress can be made through the RSB program. In addition to happiness and fun, benefits can include improved mental focus and mood, reduced stress, walking better, and learning how to fall better and get up and down safely after a fall. More at U-turn Parkinson's, Winnipeg. We are family.

  
  

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