Me and Jack Sparrow's Parrot

"You'll have to get used to this disease," said the Doctor, "you will carry it on your shoulder for the rest of your life…" and I immediately thought of Jack Sparrow's parrot.

After years of trembling, stumbling and other difficulties that seemed natural to one who is no longer a spring chicken, going to one doctor after the other who said: benign tremor, I went to the specialist who took one look at me, and said the P word…

I cried for two days, and then I realized that I can't let it beat me, and did what I usually do – reminded myself that I am basically an optimistic person, and that the best way to win a fight is with humor.

And then I did what I do best. I wrote.

The story starts writing itself

I was a Journalist for many years, and I know from experience that if I wake up in the middle of the night, go to my laptop with an urge to write, and the story starts writing itself – some good will come out of it.

This happened to me with my first book (a novel) that was published in my homeland, Israel, and with a letter I wrote to "My next man" which was published in an Israeli newspaper, got 70 letters from men who were sure they are my next man, and married one of them. (well, one is enough, isn't it?)

Same happened to me with my book "Parkinson's? you must be joking". I woke up, went to the laptop, and the book started pouring from my fingers, and I sat, day after night – writing – and laughing…

I found out the old truth, that it hurts less when you can laugh at it…

So, I had a book, with my own story of coping with the strange bird that had entered my life, and I realized that my sense of humor, and my optimism are not enough.

How sad that we can infect each other with the flu, but can not infect each other with optimism…

The good things from PD

So, I asked experts from different fields of PD's to write professional articles for my book, and they did that willingly.
"Parkinson's? you must be joking!" was first published in Hebrew (The English version is now available in Amazon). It made a big buzz in the PD's community in Israel. People with PD's came to talk, to find comfort and tell me their story of coping.

I was interviewed on National Television, and the host was astonished when I said that PD's has brought good thing to my life. "Name one!" he said, with a tone full of doubt. To which I answered: "I wrote a book. I gave a different look at things to people with PD's, and hope that I have helped some. And… I have met wonderful, interesting people with PD's, and many of them have become our friends. And when I say "our", I am referring to my next man from that letter I wrote 24 years ago…

-Alona Golan Sadan