“I’ve got Parkinson’s”

Telling the world I've got Parkinson's is like taking my clothes off in front of a scrutinizing doctor. I become an object, a thing of the public-self and confined within a narrow spotlight. I feel like I'm naked standing next to myself; I'm exposed but people see me through their own expectations.

But I'm more than a disease and more than what people expect me to be; I am myself as well. When I tell others about my disease I mustn’t allow, “Yes, I’ve got Parkinson’s” to mutate into “I can only be Parkinson’s”. Otherwise, I will get locked in the public arena and lose the other things I am.

I think it is important to be open about Parkinson’s both with yourself and other people because the disease tries to close you down. Nevertheless, people are so varied and as such will have varied reactions to your disclosure; there is nothing you can do about this. What you can control is your reaction to their reaction.