For My Dad...... February 08, 2006 9.30pm
What is Parkinson's disease?
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive disorder of the central nervous system that belongs to a group of conditions called motor system disorders. Parkinson's is the direct result of the loss of cells in a section of the brain called the substantia nigra. Those cells produce dopamine, a chemical messenger responsible for transmitting signals within the brain. Loss of dopamine causes critical nerve cells in the brain, or neurons, to fire out of control, leaving patients unable to direct or control their movement in a normal manner.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms of Parkinson's, which often appear gradually yet with increasing severity, may include tremors or trembling; difficulty maintaining balance and gait; rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk; and general slowness of movement (also called bradykinesia). Patients may also eventually have difficulty walking, talking, or completing other simple tasks
Parkinson's disease worsens over time
Awakenings staring robin Williams uses the drug used to treat Parkinson’s - L-dopa
Who has Parkinson’s?
Michael J. Fox
And my dad he turns 84 this year
My dad
He stands with his hands on his hips
He’s slightly stooped
He coughs from the coal dust of many years ago
Thin and grey now
But I remember a tall middle aged man
Who would sit me on his lap and let me stroke his fine black hair
Already starting to grey a little by the time I was born
That’s my dad
A great grand father
Like his clock
Tall but slightly battered through travels of many countries
But now my dad has Parkinson’s his hands wobble
He has trouble moving
His clock a great, great grandfather of a clock will outlast him
Like it has other generations of our family
