Superhero Powers for People with Parkinson's

Can we talk?

This time it's not three something in the morning when this Parkinson's disease (PD) care partner often lies awake when some stupid symptom finds it timely to bother the love of my life. Thank the good Lord for that! Instead, it's a glorious summer morning and my adorable, "hott-hubby" with Parkinson's soars once again to the ranks of superhero! Move over Avengers!

You see, it is summer time here on Hott Mountain, in crazy rural, boring 'ole West Virginia. School's out. Days are long, and nights are short. Especially with a random collection of spontaneous additional teenage boys that gather and find their way either to our basement for late night gaming, pool for a round of some new edition of Marco Polo, or the latest rock-n-roll blaring from the rafters.

As I rose out of bed to find some breakfast to feed a small army, I glanced out of our bathroom window only to find a visitor slowly making his way to our basement door.

Holy ophidiophobia!

When normally we welcome company of all ages at any time of day, the sight of this six foot friend immediately caused my skin to crawl, my stomach to turn, and my mouth to scream, "SNAKE!"

I hate snakes! Living in "Almost Heaven" finds us among all of God's beautiful creatures. From deer, foxes, even a bear on our front porch; it's the slithering sort that makes my skin crawl. So when I saw this beast expelled from Eden headed toward my door, I immediately called for my Super Hero with Parkie Powers.....

Going into action

And, like lickety-split, my husband who suffers from a chronic neurological illness, Parkinson's disease, vanished like the final scene of "Infinity War"! As I scrambled to find some clothes (remember, there are a slew of extra teens staying at our house), look for snake-safe footwear, grab snake retrieving gear like a shovel and bucket, and dart to the door, my own symptoms of ophidiophobia began to surface!

Finally flying through the house and reaching the door to protect my loved ones with snake gear ready to go into action, I was shocked to discover someone had made it outside before me...

Superhero powers with Parkinson's

What? Yet, there he was proudly swinging a sealed bucket in hand and marching along the side of the patio. As I looked frantically for the serpent and fearful it had retreated to hide and later bite me in the face as I lay reading a book, it was gone! Oh no! Yet another giant, creepy, critter loose in our yard to worry about! I was too late to help the love of my life who has PD! And wait, how the hell did he make it outside before me?...Whaaaat? I'll tell you. He's a superhero!

Guess what? That sealed bucket he was swinging already held the sneaky serpent who was thinking he was coming over to my house for breakfast! But no way. Not happening. Why? Because I am married to the most adorable "Super Hero with Parkie Powers!" He captured the snake by the tail moments before it escaped down the hill and sealed it in a five gallon bucket.

Later in the day, he took a car load of teens way up to Sleepy Creek Mountain Reservation to release the snake and I stayed home to marvel at his fearless powers and miraculous motives to protect his loved ones. Waiting for them to return, I ponder the event and am amazed. Has Parkinson's disease slowed him down? Well, yes. But even though the symptoms suck, the progression of the symptoms is slow and ever changing, but not quick enough to prevent him from catching a snake. Sometimes I worry about our future and how I will ever manage to wrestle a snake when Dan is unable.

But that's not today!