Tonight I went to a support group for people under 65 with Parkinson’s. It was my first time at this group as it had been started while we were overseas.
I will admit that I was a bit nervous about going to the group. However, I found right away that the people who were there were very welcoming and supportive. I soon found myself at ease and was able to share some of my story with the others.
After the meeting some of the participants decided they would stay for dinner and move into the bar area. I waited to order my $10 burger and was talking to one of the husbands whose wife had the diagnosis. I admitted to him that I get very nervous when coming to a group for the first time. He reacted by saying that I seemed very comfortable and confident. As I said to him perhaps it is like the persona of a confident professional that I have developed over the years.
It was good to see that husbands and wives of the people with Parkinson’s attended. I enjoyed the fact that not all the conversation was about our diagnosis. Though there was lots of sharing about aspects of a life with Parkinson’s, there was also a lot of chat about sports, especially rugby.
I came away feeling glad that I had given the group a go and will try to go as often as I can. I came home and reported back to my husband that ‘they were a good crowd’ and suggested he would probably get on with the group and the guys were very friendly. I have asked him if he might come next time.
Hopefully this might give both myself and my husband a group to support us both.
My journey with Parkinsons 