I’ve made it no secret that I have Parkinson’s disease. It may be less obvious that I suffer from Parkinson’s, because I try to be as upbeat and functional as possible when I’m in public … but make no mistake, anyone who has Parkinson’s does suffer from the disease.
The simplest description of Parkinson’s is a movement disorder that originates deep within the brain. In other words, I have an abnormal brain. So, just call me Abby Normal.
If you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about, you’ve never seen the hilarious 1974 movie Young Frankenstein, directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars, Gene Hackman in a cameo role …
… and the incomparable Marty Feldman as Igor, who breaks into a local “brain depository” (after 5 p.m. shove brain through slot in door) to steal the brain of a brilliant scientist. After accidentally dropping the scientist’s brain, Igor unwittingly chooses a brain labeled “abnormal” for transplant into the monster. Click HERE for an audio sample from the movie.
Famous or infamous people with Parkinson’s disease include Pope John Paul II, Muhammed Ali, Michael J. Fox, Janet Reno, Salvador Dali, and Adolf Hitler.
What does the future hold for me? As always with Parkinson’s, I will continue to lose functionality, and the medicine I take will become less and less effective. At some point I may have brain surgery, assuming I meet the clinical criteria. And, although it may not have happened quickly enough to help me, I’m profoundly disappointed that the Bush administration and the Republican party refused to fund effective stem cell research. Compassionate conservatism, indeed.