To tell or not to tell that is the question!

One of the first discussions my husband and I had following my diagnosis, was how soon to tell people, especially at work.  Being a very private person, his take was “you don’t have to rush into telling people”.  I thought about this for a nano-second – yes, I can be very decisive when I want to be – and my thoughts went something like this.  I have worked with my team for seven years now, they are like my second family.  As a team we have supported each other through happy times, difficult times (COVID springs to mind) and personal tragedies. 

I have never felt judged or isolated from my team and I don’t want to start now.  So, if I fumble for words sometimes,  I have a day where I am tired, stressed – my job does that to me anyway – they know it could be “Parkies” playing up and misbehaving.  We even joke about it sometimes and that helps.  I’ve tried getting out of things at work, “sorry, I’ve got a condition” but it doesn’t wash and you know, I’m glad!  I’m glad that after the initial shock of sharing my diagnosis, my work friends still give me cheek, still value my work and treat me as me, not a person attached to a diagnosis. 

One day I admit I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and a close friend at work told me off, reminding me that Parkies can’t be allowed to take over my life and there is much joy to still be had in life.  If life becomes swallowed up by Parkies that is the last thing I want.  Life has it’s challenges, but that’s nothing new.  It is how I face up to those challenges that make the difference, I am not Parkies and Parkies is not me!  I am still me and I intend to continue to find the joy in life, love and family and I am determined that nothing can take that from me.