Hi Percy -

My name is Todd, I am 47, and I was diagnosed with Parkinson's around 5 years ago. I believe that each person handles the diagnosis differently. I find that my friends and family have a harder time dealing with my diagnosis than myself. I am lucky, my medications are working, I have a wonderful support group and I am still able to perform my daily duties to maintain employment.

The hardest part for me is the impact Parkinson's has on my hands. My job involves a lot of time on the computer. When my medications are working I can type swiftly and accurately. When they are off, a simple sentence can take 10X the amount of time to complete. I know there are tools available to help with my typing. There is a voice recognition application that allows users to speak and the software translates that into written words. I don't currently use the application, but it's good to know it is out there.

Additionally, I play a lot of golf and the my game can go sideways quickly if my medication wears off. This is not a big deal and my wife is amazing and supports my getting out of the house for a few rounds a week. I figure if my golf game is one of the biggest side effects of Parkinson's then I really have no complaints.

Like I said, I believe each person deals with the diagnosis differently. There are a lot of factors to consider; your daughters outlook, the progression of her Parkinson's, how well her medications work, how Parkinson's impacts her life goals, her support group...….and the list goes on. I would say that there are a lot of tools and support groups out there to help. If you find something that helps, stick with it. If something isn't helping, move on.

I wish you and your daughter the best.

Todd