by Sara Penhale
On a trip to Cuba in 2017, I visited a small plaza in the town of Camageuy. Set at random spots across the plaza are life-size bronze statues of town residents engaged in ordinary daily activities, like a man pushing a water cart or three women seated together gossiping. One statue depicts a man seated on a park bench reading a spread open newspaper that he holds up with his hands. On my visit, seated next to the bronze man was a real man in the same pose. Immediately I realized he was the model for statue. This real man, unlike the bronze figure, had hands that were shaking. He was an older gentleman and had an aura of Parkinson’s that I’ve come to recognize in others with the disease. I stopped, looked a bit longer, and then got up my courage to go over to him. I drew on my limited knowledge of Spanish to say to him, “Lo mismo” (the same) and held out my own trembling hands. He looked with recognition and then pointed up to the sky and called upon “Dios” (God). That was all I could understand of what he was saying so I simply replied “Si, si” (yes, yes), nodding in agreement. He seemed pleased with the conversation, however limited it was, and so was I. Each of us, with our lives altered by Parkinson’s, understood a great deal about a person from another culture, finding a bond through our common experience of having Parkinson’s disease.
My Parkinson Story is a weekly column featuring member of our community, sharing their stories with PD. We are interested in sharing a wide array of experiences, including yours! PD looks different in everyone, and affects everyone differently, including friends and family of those with PD. If you’d like to share your story on our blog, please email us.