Waves of Wonder

Our lives are full of waves. Sometimes the waves are small and kiss your feet gently, sometimes they are big and strong and carry  you far away. A few times they are waves of wonder and they change our lives forever. This is the story of such a wave.

It was a warm, sunny day in April. Just perfect for a walk. The distance was rather short. So I decided to walk…but then something very strange happened. Something I could have never imagined and I can assure you I have a very vivid imagination...

It was just like trying to walk in the water. The air had suddenly acquired such strong resistance that it was almost impossible for me to walk without dragging my feet which felt heavy and weak.

I realized there was something terribly wrong with me. I remembered how my second grade pupils had noticed my left hand fingers tremble the previous month and commented that I was moving in slow motion.

As I come from a family of doctors it was pretty easy to reach a diagnosis. My dad, an experienced pathologist, was convinced when he saw me walking that I had Parkinson’s disease and so I had to see a neurologist and do some tests to exclude more serious conditions.

A week later it was official. I had Parkinson’s disease and would have to start medication immediately.

The diagnosis came as a gift for me. I dreaded something much worse than lining slow in a fast world. I wasn’t sad. In fact I was relieved that the treatment didn’t involve surgery or injections or losing my hair. Instead it opened the door to a magical world that involved eating healthily, exercising moderately and creating endlessly.

This wave of wonder brought a lot of new friends for me. One of the most important is Didem, a talented English teacher from Turkey who invited me to teach at her school and encouraged me to start this blog.

So I dedicate TREMBLING TALES to her and hope it will be a source of inspiration for anyone with a chronic disease.