Great topic for a thread!..Ive found out that there are alot more parkie couples out there than I was aware of..As I had mentioned before, I had about given up on relationships..I had heard of too many marriages splitting up because of a spouse who couldnt deal with their partners pd, and because of pd I am very sensative emotionally, and relationships are..well..emotional..So I had planned on just being alone for the rest of my days, cuz I fugured, who would want a 55 year old man with pd on SSDI?..Untill Laura and I started talking online, and over the phone, I figured nobody would want that..It all started out when Chasmo invited me to a conference on Yahoo messinger with himself, Laura, and myself..And after that Laura would IM me and when she went into the hospital back in June, Charlie gave me her cell phone number and I called and left her a message to try and cheer her up, and she called me back, and that was where it all started..On the way to Seattle on Wednesday, she handed me her cell phone, and low and behold she had saved that message since I had left it in June

I dont know how personal I want to get here, but surfice to say that two parkies, one in early stages, and one in advanced stage, can have a fulfilling relationship, without any elements of the relationship missing..It can be as fulfilling, if not moreso than two healthy people..The fact that we both have pd makes for a very strong bond, and its not just because we both have pd, its because we both have the understanding and compassion that tends to humble many of us PWP..Aside from our commonality of pd, we like any other couple had to develop a trust, and a mutual respect for each other..We had both been through bad marriages, and trust was an issue for both of us, to a greater or lesser degree..Laura tended to focus more on trust than I did, because she is in the middle of a divorce from a nasty marriage, and the pain is still fresh..My divorce was in 2003, so I was more apt to trust, because the grieving, and the pain has been behind me for a while now..There have been moments where one or the other of us was waiting for the other shoe to drop, because it was what we were used to, but we have managed thus far to begin to build a foundation built on trust, respect, openess, understanding, and compassion..We have been blunt about our needs, and our turn offs, which has been a good thing..It is better to get it out, so there are no surprises down the road..no holding in, and stuffing negative emotions, that can and will crumble the foundation from within because of a lack of communication..We listen to each other, and we have been able to discuss situations instead of argue, as well as admitt when we've been wrong, without exception..I attribute that to our collective ability to be able to tell it like it is..Then theres chemistry, which we have plenty of in many respects, and exact opposites in others..Laura for example is spontanious, whereas I am predictable..That actaully works out for the good, because if we were both spontanious, we would go out for milk, and probably end up in Helsinki somewhere But it makes for an adventure filled day..When on the other hand, I make plans, and it rains, it screws up my schedule..Laura will find something else for us to do in a second..We both are very deep thinkers, so the emotional bonds that we share are intense, and profound..We have learned alot from, and about each other, by the things we do and by the things we say..We both have huge hearts..When we were leaving Seattle the other day, there was a homeless man standing on the freeway entrance with a sign..The car in front of us gave the man some change..Laura gave me a $10 bill to hand to the man, as I rolled down the window

Thats it..Blame Steve

Are we crazy?..No!..Pd caused me to rob myself of the willingmess to dream my wildest dream..The inner desire to live my life to the fullest, got me on a plane to Washington to meet Laura..It was a risk I found the courage to take, cuz we could have met and decided that we didnt like each other..But, Thanks be to God, that we hit it off, and discovered potential possibillities in each other that have blossumed..

Yes, life was simpler alone..Actually, it was so simple that it became mundane and boring..I realized that prior coming out here that I settled for less..I had settled for nothing by denying myself an intimate relationship with a woman..I had litterally forced myself to go without something I really wanted because I had pd..I have once again learned that life does on with or without pd..And the fact that I/we have pd, makes this relationship, all the more profound and inspiring, and lets not forget, a source of hope, and mutual happiness in many ways..Ive learned alot about myself in all of this, and Ive learned alot about the God that created us..alot about faith, and the strength of our inner spirit's quest to fulfill our dreams and our wholeness, no matter the challenges before us..I think provides a source of strength where there was weakness, a source of clarity where there was confusion..a source of purpose where there was doubt..and a source of hope where there was despair




When we are out in public, it is hard to tell I have pd unless I am having a bad day, so I probably look like Laura's carepartner, more than a pd patient..My meds work pretty good and hide alot of my symptoms these days..and what people also dont know is what we share with each other in conversation over breakfast or lunch at some restaurant somewhere..There is never a word wasted on meaningless irrelevant banter..When one of us is having a tough time, the other willingly steps in and takes up the slack..This relationship has been enlightening to both of us