The True Meaning of Community

Anytime PMD Alliance comes to town, I am happy to jump in and help. I have been an ambassador for them for over 7 years now. Recently, Parkinson's Orange County (POC) partnered with PMD Alliance for a Community Connection event hosted at Capriana Senior Living in Brea. The event included a networking reception on Friday evening, followed by a full day workshop on Saturday. Not wanting to travel back and forth from South OC, my husband, Jeff, and I stayed the night in a local hotel. The weekend started out great at Friday's reception. I was back at my hotel and in bed early so I could be back at Capriana in the morning with plenty of time to unload my car and get our vendor table set up. Since I was staying in Brea, I had assured Erin Angelo, POC's Executive Director, that I could get there before her, so I had all our supplies in my car.

As many of you know, Parkinson's often throws a wrench into the best laid plans, I woke up on Saturday morning only to realize that my 24-hour medication pump had turned off for some reason during the night leaving me totally unmedicated. With less than an hour to get ready, I had curled toes, and tremors that I swore set off the Richter Scale. Of course, the stress of the situation made my anxiety shoot through the roof. I was a mess and moving at a snail’s pace.

I am so thankful that Jeff was with me. He helped me get my pump back in working order and get some meds on board. Then he made breakfast while I attempted to dress and make myself presentable. While I ate my oatmeal, Jeff grabbed our massage gun (an essential in my PD toolkit), and went to work on making my toes uncurl. I told him, “If I can just make it over to Capriana, the rest of the day will be ok.” Upon arrival at the event, the first person I saw was Andrea Merriam, CEO of PMD Alliance. All I said was, "My pump turned off during the night. I am totally off and I need some help." I have tears in my eyes as I write this because of what happened next. A couple of others heard what I said and jumped into action. Within minutes, as my husband was unloading the car, others were headed downstairs to help carry things and set up the POC table. All I had to do was ask for help (sometimes, hard to do). My needs were taken care of by those around me who understand. That is the true meaning of community. People with shared experiences who understand each other, and are there for each other in both the good times and the trying times. To those who helped me, your compassion and willingness to step up did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. You make life with Parkinson’s bearable and I thank you from the tips of my shaky fingers all the way down to my curled toes.

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