Both of my parents died of complications from Parkinson's disease. My husband has pointed out that there's no such thing as a non-nasty disease so calling this one names doesn't make it any different than diabetes or cancer or any of the other afflictions of humankind.
But this one is particularly nasty to me because the two folks responsible for my appearance on this planet were afflicted with it.
My parents, particularly my Mom, are the reason why I started the Parkinson's Quilt Project. (Dad died before I really began quilting so I never got to make one for him the way I did for Mom.)
And that project is the reason why I am the afternoon speaker at the Parkinson's symposium at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center on April 16. There's a copy of the poster for the event above. And that quilt you see on it was made by me. It features the eight hearts I appliquéd when I sat with my Mom during her last days.
The research into Parkinson's has not conclusively pinpointed the causes of the disease though the evidence, so far, points to exposure to environmental toxins as a huge contributor. The two speakers in the morning are part of that effort and I'll be interested to hear what they have to say.
In the meantime, I think I'd better go write my speech.
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