I have been looking at a comment that has been made on my blog about the term ‘Parkies’ which is in the title of my Blog and appears from time to time in entries and in my podcasts.
The comment was along the lines that ‘Parkies’ has been – and still may be for some – an offensive term for a person with Parkinson’s Disease. It is not my usual practice to use the term necessarily to describe a person with the condition, but I may have done so in the past in referring to myself. Some may say that using such a word degrades a person or infantilises them and is therefore disrespectful. Quite the opposite for me is why I use the term Parkies in my own life and therefore in my Blog. This after all is a commentary on my life and my journey with Parkinson’s. I often refer to Parkies as being an uninvited guest in my life and in my body. It is referring to the condition as a separate entity and not as my identity.
I hope I do not offend people with this word but my husband and I often give nicknames to the various ailments I have. One of them is Arthritis throughout my body. We call it Arthur.
If I say I am very tired and wondering why, he might say that it is “Arthur and Parkie” conspiring against me. They are foreign, uninvited guests in my life that I can’t get rid of no matter how much I might wish to.
Life is too short for me to take this journey seriously all the time and for me to feel that I have to perhaps sanitise the words that I use and how I use them. I am in a state of constant endeavour to live in the now and not to look too far in the future. Fighting a Disease called Parkinson’s sounds so much scarier than giving Parkies a run for their money. Refusing to allow Parkies a free run at controlling my life is something I will always try to do.
For me, if I have to constantly refer to Parkinson’s in it’s full form and add the word ‘disease’ it has a very serious tone indeed. I prefer not to use the word disease when I speak about this condition. It sounds more ominous and as if it is something I can infect other people with.
I appreciate being told that some people may find the term offensive, but I want to assure anyone reading this or listening to my podcasts, that the last thing I would ever want to do is to give offence.
I hope those reading this will realise that my purpose in writing this blog is to work through the challenges of living with this condition. I have also always hoped that I can help others along the way.
Parkinson’s is a serious condition and a serious sounding word.
Parkies sounds less daunting and something I can more easily dismiss.
Either way, I will fight on for another day and continue to do so.
Below is a podcast with more thoughts on the subject
My journey with Parkinsons 