Dear Editor,
My family has coped with family members having Parkinson’s disease for over 20 years. Present day, my dad has had Parkinsons for almost 15 years.
My dad, Jim Lucas, is only 59 years old, which means he has had this disease since he was 44. That is very young for such a strong diagnosis. We have grown as a family, with loved ones and friends by our side through this whole experience.
The point of LucasStrong is to help others. When someone is diagnosed it may come as a shock. For me, I remember being an 11 year old girl whose dad’s leg started shaking.
We knew Parkinson’s disease was probably going to be the diagnosis, but when they told us it still came as a shock. I remember sitting at the dinner table being a little girl when my parents told my sister and I. I had a wrenching pain in my chest, put my head down and cried for hours.
All I could think about was how unfair it was for my dad to be given this and I knew our lives were going to change. What I didn’t know was that it ended up being a blessing in disguise.
We believe my dad was given this diagnosis so we could help educate and make a difference in the Parkinsons world. My family has grown such a strong bond throughout this experience. Last year was really tough for my family. My dad’s Parkinsons was progressing and he had been waiting for a brain surgery for a couple years.
The time had finally come for him to get surgery, but then they had found skin cancer in his neck and breast cancer in my mom. This is why we are LucasStrong. My mom’s mastectomy was one week earlier than my dad’s brain surgery was scheduled for. His brain surgery had to be postponed when they found his skin cancer. (A blessing in disguise).
We got through my mom’s two surgeries and my dad had his skin cancer removed. Then, it was go time. Family and several friends sat with us in the waiting room while we all had tears coming down our cheeks during his surgery. We knew this was a huge procedure. What this procedure does is go in through his brain and put electrodes in to connect to a port that they put into his chest in a later surgery.
This port is able to help his motor skills and it is amazing. It was an unbelievably scary time for my family. And after an 8-hour brain surgery, my dad came out still telling jokes and being his witty self. He is still the man he has always been and does not let Parkinsons change his attitude, heart or personality.
We spent many hours at the hospital this past year, but we have come out stronger on the other end. We hope sharing our story, will give others strength to get through whatever challenges they too are facing.
One thing that has been a tremendous help to my dad through the years has been his ability to work out in an exercise program. Ahdi (from Body by Ahdi) has been my dad’s personal trainer for the past couple of years. This has made a tremendous difference for my dad.
On Saturday, May 18, at Holly State Park at 2 p.m. there will be a 3.5 mile walk, led by James Lucas. The minimum donation is $35 per person. All of the money will go to Michigan Parkinsons foundation/LucasStrong to be used for people in Oakland and Genesee counties who have Parkinson’s Disease. The sign up is on Eventbrite.com, “LucasStrong 3.4 Walk/Run for Parkinson’s.”
With this money, they will be providing personal exercise programs to those with Parkinsons who are not able to do it on their own. They also want to help the family members who need some support. We are LucasStrong, and hope you will join us help make a difference.
We are asking you, your mom, dad, sister, cousin, friend, or anyone you want to invite, to join us in raising awareness on Parkinsons and come see the impact!
Kristina Lucas