It's funny, you would think that after 30 years in sales, making
pitches to individuals and groups, I would be comfortable in front of a
crowd.
Not....
On May 24, 2018 the Saint John Chapter of Parkinson's Canada held it's Annual Fundraiser Dinner.
I have no idea if our little dinner is on the grand scale, small scale, or somewhere in between.
This is where they flash the " 4 Years ago " on the bottom of the TV screen.
This
is a small town city. If you ever attend the "in" events, Board of
Trade, Hospital Fundraisers , Y's Men Club etc. you see basically the
same people. I was never one of them. Early on in my company's life,
while I knew who these people were, they were just another client to me.
I wasn't asked to the events. If there was an event I had wanted to attend most likely it was sold out.
I
never really tried to fit in. I was always just Randy the copier/phone
guy. Through my connection with the Family Resource Centre I was able to
attend a BCAPI
(Business Community Anti-Poverty Initiative) event. The one name that
kept coming up was Bill Gale, as he was the main driving force behind
this organization.
When I was introduced to the existing
board of the local Chapter, one of the names that stood out was Bill
Gale. Bill also attended the support groups. One day in a voice you
could barely hear Bill said to me "we are going to have a dinner." So I
guess we have a dinner. Doing something for the first time is exciting,
and satisfying. I went to the membership and asked for volunteers. With
Bill's help we managed to sell about 120 tickets. With Jean Driscoll's
help we got a lot of Silent Auction items.
That first year we
raised over $13,000. All that money went to the local. The second year
we raised just over $9,000, but we were competing against the East Coast
Music Awards that night.
This year we actually had guests, but did I acknowledge them?? NO!
Did I ask for them to say something?? NO!
I carefully wrote out a script of what to say. Threw it out the window.
I must say, third time around I actually had time to enjoy it.
Cheryl and Dori worked the front table.
Jean's daughters sold 50/50 tickets.
I just wondered about, thanking people.
There
is always so much negativity involved with Parkinson's. It is really
uplifting to be a part of something positive. To see people having a
good time, supporting a good cause. Maybe next year I will look at
getting an experienced emcee, and speaker.
This blog has a
tendency to be a lot of woe is me, mainly because I remember the bad
stuff. What is not said enough is the fact that most days are great,
that most days just go by. The same for everyone else.
As to the total amount raised this year, $12,500.
To everyone who helped in this endeavor,
THANK YOU!
To everyone who donated,
THANK YOU!
And remember
IT'S ONLY INCONVENIENT
Sunday, 27 May 2018
Sunday, 13 May 2018
Sweet Dreams
So
What's new
One the wonderful things of living with PD is that you get all this extra time in the day.
Just imagine the things you can get done if you only had an extra three or four hours every day.
Why you could get in some extra piano practice. You could paint three or four paintings. You could teach yourself to play the guitar, the fiddle, or the drums. You could watch that series on Netflix, you know the one, the one you don't want anybody to know you watch. I am talking about the Cake Wars one. And yes there is a way to remove it from the watched list. It's hard to find things to do at four in the morning that don't make noise.
Sleep is something most of us take for granted. Yes, at some point most of us have had a bout of insomnia. But it usually stopped once whatever we were worried about stopped or went away.
To the Parkie, sleep is to be cherished. To actually make it to the alarm in the morning is to be celebrated.
I was one of those people who, when told by someone they went to the gym a six every morning, responded with a "your nuts". Now I find myself at Spin Class at 5:45 god damn AM.
So now I have added two Zopiclone to my night time routine. Funny how things, after a while become normal. Four o'clock is normal right. I will ask myself, why am I so tired, it's only 10 o'clock. Then I remember oh yeah I was up at four. Just like every one else. Right?
The last visit to the Neurologist, I asked Cheryl to come along. It had been a while since she had come with me and I thought she might have some questions, or observations.
Well, we progressed though the appointment. We talked about the Dyskinesia and dystonia. He did this funny thing where he made me recite the months backwards (try it, it's hard) and my left hand did this funny shaky thingy. My tremor is in my right hand. Hmm ???
So the doctor says, "is there anything else " I say no.
I am not sure if the doctor actually asked her if she had any questions, but up until this point she had said nothing. "What about marijuana" she says, "you know, for sleep " she says. Never even crossed my mind.
I have been sorta reluctant about the whole marijuana thing. Most of all I just didn't want to be stoned (didn't occur to me that if I DID get stoned, I would be asleep) and I was unsure if it would do any good. According to the Neurologist, Cannabis does nothing directly for Parkinson's symptoms. Most people, he says, take the cannabis and feel great for about 2 months (power of suggestion?) then things go back to normal. It will however ease the anxiety that a Parkie can get when the meds wear off and the next dose hasn't kicked in yet. It will however help relax you and help you sleep.
So I received my first shipment of cannabis oil. I have not taken any yet. This is Saturday. I will work it into the night time routine on Monday. According to the literature it will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to take effect. So I should take it around 9 o'clock.
Hopefully I will be able to make the alarm at 5:15.
Got to go to Spin Class you know. God I hate the gym.
But that topic is for another day
So...
GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE
Sweet Dreams
And remember
IT'S ONLY INCONVENIENT
What's new
One the wonderful things of living with PD is that you get all this extra time in the day.
Just imagine the things you can get done if you only had an extra three or four hours every day.
Why you could get in some extra piano practice. You could paint three or four paintings. You could teach yourself to play the guitar, the fiddle, or the drums. You could watch that series on Netflix, you know the one, the one you don't want anybody to know you watch. I am talking about the Cake Wars one. And yes there is a way to remove it from the watched list. It's hard to find things to do at four in the morning that don't make noise.
Sleep is something most of us take for granted. Yes, at some point most of us have had a bout of insomnia. But it usually stopped once whatever we were worried about stopped or went away.
To the Parkie, sleep is to be cherished. To actually make it to the alarm in the morning is to be celebrated.
I was one of those people who, when told by someone they went to the gym a six every morning, responded with a "your nuts". Now I find myself at Spin Class at 5:45 god damn AM.
So now I have added two Zopiclone to my night time routine. Funny how things, after a while become normal. Four o'clock is normal right. I will ask myself, why am I so tired, it's only 10 o'clock. Then I remember oh yeah I was up at four. Just like every one else. Right?
The last visit to the Neurologist, I asked Cheryl to come along. It had been a while since she had come with me and I thought she might have some questions, or observations.
Well, we progressed though the appointment. We talked about the Dyskinesia and dystonia. He did this funny thing where he made me recite the months backwards (try it, it's hard) and my left hand did this funny shaky thingy. My tremor is in my right hand. Hmm ???
So the doctor says, "is there anything else " I say no.
I am not sure if the doctor actually asked her if she had any questions, but up until this point she had said nothing. "What about marijuana" she says, "you know, for sleep " she says. Never even crossed my mind.
I have been sorta reluctant about the whole marijuana thing. Most of all I just didn't want to be stoned (didn't occur to me that if I DID get stoned, I would be asleep) and I was unsure if it would do any good. According to the Neurologist, Cannabis does nothing directly for Parkinson's symptoms. Most people, he says, take the cannabis and feel great for about 2 months (power of suggestion?) then things go back to normal. It will however ease the anxiety that a Parkie can get when the meds wear off and the next dose hasn't kicked in yet. It will however help relax you and help you sleep.
So I received my first shipment of cannabis oil. I have not taken any yet. This is Saturday. I will work it into the night time routine on Monday. According to the literature it will take about 1 to 1.5 hours to take effect. So I should take it around 9 o'clock.
Hopefully I will be able to make the alarm at 5:15.
Got to go to Spin Class you know. God I hate the gym.
But that topic is for another day
So...
GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE
Sweet Dreams
And remember
IT'S ONLY INCONVENIENT
Saturday, 5 May 2018
What makes a Parkie
Well, update on the golf game. I know, you are all waiting breathlessly for this.
I went to the driving range. Wow!!
I guess working out all winter sure does make a difference. I was crushing it!
Played the first round at Sussex Golf Club, shot a 91 (very good for me). I think I will stop now....NOT!
As you may have realized by now, I refer to myself as a Parkie and not a PWP (Person With Parkinson's). This has been a debate among the Parkie community for a long time . What follows is only my opinion. My blog- my opinion.
As part of my job as a "salesman" I have been to a few Nursing Homes and Extended Care Facilities.
Walking through the halls is both heartbreaking and scary. If you talk to anyone with Parkinson's (and people without Parkinson's too) their number one fear is, this is where they will end up. They may not admit it, but deep down inside it is there somewhere. Each time I read or hear the term PWP, I think of the nursing home. PWP is very clinical, and I find it refers more to the condition then to the person with the condition. When I hear PWP I see someone who, while they may still be fighting, has accepted this is the way it will be. To me a PWP will find a reason not to do something. And yes that reason may be valid.
Take Exercise for example. It has been proven over and over again that vigorous exercise will in the short term ease some of the stiffness, and in the long term slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Now, everyone has to find the level of exercise that is right for them. But you definitely have to push yourself in order for the exercise to be effective. You may not be able to bench press 200 lbs, but you can do a bicep curl with 10 or 5 lb dumb bells. You may not be able to take a spin class (I highly recommend it for any one), but you can do 10 to 15 minutes a day on a stationary bike.
God, I sound like such an arrogant snob. I don't mean to.
A Parkie is someone who will take the challenge of Day to Day living personally. Someone who will do everything possible to slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Not just with exercise for the body, but also exercises for the brain. At the conference we met Don Lawson. He has lived with Parkinson's for about 20 years. He and his wife learn a new card game every 6 months to a year, and they play it every evening. If they don't have friends over, they play it by themselves. He finds it keeps his mind sharp.
Parkies' don't as a rule look at the weather report, we simply get up, look outside and say "I need big boots today" or "Cool! Shorts and tee".
Parkies' are aware of their bodies and Parkinson's, realizing when something is new, what does it effect and how to deal with it.
A Parkie does not let the symptoms of Parkinson's deter them from at least trying something. A Parkie looks for new adventures. Two People I look up to the most in the Parkie world are
Natasha McCarthy, her blog is "A Broken Body's Journey " http://natashachronicles.blogspot.ca/
and the other is Allison Smith or "The Perky Parkie." They are the ones I think of when I need to give myself a kick in the pants. They are the ones who keep me positive. A Parkie looks for the positive in any situation and or person.
Don't get me wrong, I will be a PWP someday. But not tomorrow, or the day after that.
For today I am THE RANDY PARKIE
Remember IT'S ONLY INCONVENIENT
ps. I start my Piano lessens on Wednesday.
I went to the driving range. Wow!!
I guess working out all winter sure does make a difference. I was crushing it!
Played the first round at Sussex Golf Club, shot a 91 (very good for me). I think I will stop now....NOT!
As you may have realized by now, I refer to myself as a Parkie and not a PWP (Person With Parkinson's). This has been a debate among the Parkie community for a long time . What follows is only my opinion. My blog- my opinion.
As part of my job as a "salesman" I have been to a few Nursing Homes and Extended Care Facilities.
Walking through the halls is both heartbreaking and scary. If you talk to anyone with Parkinson's (and people without Parkinson's too) their number one fear is, this is where they will end up. They may not admit it, but deep down inside it is there somewhere. Each time I read or hear the term PWP, I think of the nursing home. PWP is very clinical, and I find it refers more to the condition then to the person with the condition. When I hear PWP I see someone who, while they may still be fighting, has accepted this is the way it will be. To me a PWP will find a reason not to do something. And yes that reason may be valid.
Take Exercise for example. It has been proven over and over again that vigorous exercise will in the short term ease some of the stiffness, and in the long term slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Now, everyone has to find the level of exercise that is right for them. But you definitely have to push yourself in order for the exercise to be effective. You may not be able to bench press 200 lbs, but you can do a bicep curl with 10 or 5 lb dumb bells. You may not be able to take a spin class (I highly recommend it for any one), but you can do 10 to 15 minutes a day on a stationary bike.
God, I sound like such an arrogant snob. I don't mean to.
A Parkie is someone who will take the challenge of Day to Day living personally. Someone who will do everything possible to slow down the progression of Parkinson's. Not just with exercise for the body, but also exercises for the brain. At the conference we met Don Lawson. He has lived with Parkinson's for about 20 years. He and his wife learn a new card game every 6 months to a year, and they play it every evening. If they don't have friends over, they play it by themselves. He finds it keeps his mind sharp.
Parkies' don't as a rule look at the weather report, we simply get up, look outside and say "I need big boots today" or "Cool! Shorts and tee".
Parkies' are aware of their bodies and Parkinson's, realizing when something is new, what does it effect and how to deal with it.
A Parkie does not let the symptoms of Parkinson's deter them from at least trying something. A Parkie looks for new adventures. Two People I look up to the most in the Parkie world are
Natasha McCarthy, her blog is "A Broken Body's Journey " http://natashachronicles.blogspot.ca/
and the other is Allison Smith or "The Perky Parkie." They are the ones I think of when I need to give myself a kick in the pants. They are the ones who keep me positive. A Parkie looks for the positive in any situation and or person.
Don't get me wrong, I will be a PWP someday. But not tomorrow, or the day after that.
For today I am THE RANDY PARKIE
Remember IT'S ONLY INCONVENIENT
ps. I start my Piano lessens on Wednesday.
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