"I have Parkinson's."
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that. But at least you are in good health."

- told it is not fatal
- told it does not hurt
- told there will be a cure within 5 year
- told it is a chemical shortage in the brain - these pills fix the shortage. It has nothing to do with you and your life, it is just a chemical imbalance
- told that people have it for 15 years, 20 years, so you have lots and lots of time
_ some of this relates to not alarming the person, such as, "Oh you have PD? My best friend had that - diagnosis in January, died in June. So fast, he was gone, and he turned into a vegetable and then screamed for days because of hallucinations. It's the worst thing you can imagine.."
..Uhhh, thanks for the head's up.

Five years later the disease kicks in for real, and you did not strengthen yourself to deal with it, because it seemed to be no big deal, it can't kill you. And then it starts to kill you. It is a very nasty beast.
"Well, his hands shake and sometimes his lip quivers, but the rest of his body is not affected."