I’M HERE TO TAKE you on a journey between two points in my life – before and after. In between is a fleeting moment that radically altered who I am and how I move through the world. Blink and you miss it: a twitch. From the outside, a lot still looks the same. I work in the same industry, I live in the same place, I surround myself with the same people. But I am not the same, and I will never be the same again.
An unexpected Parkinson’s diagnosis saw fit to that. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the disease, don’t worry – I wasn’t either. I thought Parkinson’s, with its characteristic stoop, shake and shuffle, affected men in their senior years, not women in their forties like me. It’s safe to say I knew nothing. That would soon change. Without giving away too much of my story here, let’s say that my experience of living with an interloper who sought to scupper my motivation, mood and means of making a living was challenging. Because of this, it was clear I had to make a choice. I could play it small and stoic and ‘manage’ my condition, or I could share my medical coming-out story and, in doing so, help others who might feel similarly broken. I’m no expert, but this much I know: when something falls apart, whether it’s your health, relationship or career, all rubble looks the same. Our humanity connects us, not our circumstances. With that, I hope my path will guide, comfort, or give you a much-needed laugh as you navigate your own, wherever it might take you. As for the twitch? It might be how this all starts, but it’s certainly not how it ends. The story is mine to tell. And so, it begins . .