A Sentence Can Change Your Life

Four words that change your life: “you have Parkinson’s Disease.” 

Football great Brett Favre heard those four words recently. In Favre’s case, he links his diagnosis to the multitude of concussions he suffered during a long and storied NFL career. There’s a price to pay for glory. A price to pay for the riches–and the hits–he received.  

A day before Favre’s disclosure during a Congressional hearing, a report was released that found that a third of former professional football players believe they have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) , a degenerative brain disease that cannot be diagnosed in living people.  

According to CNN, findings from the Boston University CTE Center suggest that playing football might increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. 

 

Using data from a large online survey sponsored by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, researchers found that participants who had a history of playing organized tackle football were 61% more likely to report a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis or “parkinsonism”, an umbrella term for symptoms like tremors and rigidity that cause movement problems, compared with those who played other organized sports. 

 

The report, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, also found that participants who played football at higher levels — professionally or in college — were nearly three times as likely to have Parkinson’s or parkinsonism compared with those who played at the youth or high school levels. 

But you don’t have to be a football player to get Parkinson’s. I know. Parkinson’s has touched my family and ever since we heard those four words our lives have been forever altered.  

I wake up thinking about Parkinson’s and I go to sleep thinking about Parkinson’s. 

Don’t get me wrong, my family and I are fortunate and have a wonderful life. Those four words will not get in the way of being grateful for all that we’ve been given and all that we’ve worked for. 

But those four words–and it could be a variation, ”you have breast cancer” or “you have heart disease”—change things. For me personally, “you have Covid and pneumonia” (5 words) changed my life –and nearly took my life–in 2020.  

Time becomes more precious. Doctor’s visits are no longer routine, long term plans are no longer as certain. 

Serious diagnoses have a way of focusing the mind. They reorder priorities, they cannot be ignored. 

Still, I’ve learned that mindset is important. 

There’s a quote that I think about often and want to share. I’ve found it helpful, and I hope you do too. 

“An entire sea of water can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside the ship. Similarly, the negativity of the world can’t put you down unless you allow it to get inside you”- Goi Nasu 

We try not to let the water get inside us. But sometimes the boat springs a leak. Sometimes we “go there” and that can make for some dark moments. We just can’t stay there.  

We have to cling to hope and when hope fades we always have faith.  

The Cafe On Main

My play “The Cafe on Main” was performed on stage yesterday before a sold-out house at the magnificent Delray Beach Playhouse.

Words cannot describe the feeling of sitting in an audience and watching talented actors bring your words and vision to life. Under the outstanding direction of Marianne Regan, the cast crushed it. They are so talented, so caring, and so generous. I’m at a loss to describe the feeling other than to say I’ve been bitten by the drama bug and I want to write more stories for the stage.

Writing can be a lonely exercise. You sit in front of a blank screen and struggle to make sense of the world. Then you hit send and have no idea how your words are received. I’m thankful for those of you who share your feedback about this blog with me; your insights shape me but I don’t see your faces, I can’t tell if my words are landing.

But getting that feedback in real time is a whole other experience. Watching a director and actors add to your vision and make it better than you could imagine is magical.

I’m grateful to the Delray Beach Playhouse for giving new playwrights an opportunity to learn, an opportunity to shine. They have created a safe place for creativity to blossom and I can honestly say the experience has changed my life. I’ve spoken to a few of my fellow playwrights and they share that gratitude. The Delray Beach Playhouse is a gem. The talent here is off the charts–I was just blown away by the acting, direction and staging of these new plays. So was the audience—whew!

I have a few ideas for future works cooking in my brain. It’s good to know that my local playhouse appreciates dreamers like me. My heart is full.