Life in the “Slow Lane”

Teaching Others About PD

My previous column in the Spring 2002 PDF News & Review featured an anecdote about a PWP being treated rudely by a clerk. We invited suggestions from our readers for alternative reactions the PWP could have made in response to the situation. We haven't received feedback yet, but I've listed some suggestions of my own.

Here's the original anecdote:
My cat was due for a post-op exam at the hospital. On the appointed day, I packed her up and we took off. Unfortunately, my Parkinson symptoms were in full swing.

We went to announce ourselves at the registration window. A clerk fired a list of questions at me. "Last name?" "First name?" "Address?" But to each of my answers he responded, "No, no, can't find you or your cat in our database." He squinted at me. "You look awfully nervous. Say, are you sure that cat is yours?"

My tremors grew stronger and my voice weaker. "I'm sure," I whispered.

Suddenly, a little boy in the waiting room giggled and pointed at me. "Are you really sure?" he hooted. Then his sister jumped up and squealed, "Why are you doing that with your hands? Why, why?" I ignored them both.

Picking up my cat, I headed for the exit. "I'll make another appointment," I mumbled. The clerk shrugged.

Alternative response to the clerk:
I told the clerk, " I'm not nervous. My tremors are caused by Parkinson's disease."

Continuing his search, the clerk suddenly found my name. "Here you are, all the way at the end."

I restrained the impulse to inform him that "Z" is always at the end. Reaching for the appointment slip he handed me, I said "Goodbye," and walked away with my cat.

Alternative response to children's inquiry:
"That's a very good question," I told them, "I'm not moving my hands because I want to. A condition called Parkinson's is making me do it. You may have heard about it because a lot of famous people have it like Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali, the Pope, Janet Reno….."

(After this explanation, the clerk finds my name and the story ends as above.)

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TODAY'S TALE
Roger and Mat are good friends. They are both retired PWPs. Tonight is a big evening for them. They are going to New York City to have dinner at a four-star restaurant and attend the most popular show on Broadway. To add to the festivities, they've decided to splurge on a taxi instead of taking the usual train to town.

During the cab ride, they have a lively conversation so they scarcely notice that the car has come to a full stop. Nor do they hear the driver when he initially says, "Gentlemen, we've arrived." So, he repeats it.

Roger asks, "What do we owe?"

"$8.65," was the answer.

The Parkinson's tremors that affect both Roger and Mat cause them to take several minutes to give the driver his fare. Figuring out the tip takes even more time.

Very impatiently, the driver insists that they hurry up with his payment and exit the cab.

The tension exacerbates Roger and Mat's tremors and some of the money falls to the cab floor. They retrieve it as quickly as possible, give it to the cab driver (who is now, quite annoyed), and exit.

Has something like this ever happened to you? If so, how did you handle it?

By Margot Zobel