I went to a friend's birthday party last night. This woman has been part of my life for more than twenty years now, but I am worried about how much time there may be left for our friendship. She is being stolen slowly from all of us who care about her by a cruel and silent thief that calls itself Parkinson's disease. It was a surprise party and when she came in to find herself surrounded by friends and family, it would have broken your heart to watch her. She stood there, smiling, and saying things like "Oh my goodness, what a surprise!", but her hands shook so badly as she raised them to her face. They were not still once, the whole evening. They move continuously, quite as though with a will of their own.They are being gradually disconnected from the motor control of her brain, as are all of her muscles. As this creeping marauder continues its course, even the muscular motion of swallowing will be affected, gradually becoming impossible.
   My friend is taking part in a clinical drug trial. I remember her beginning it with such high hopes, confident that she would be helped back to normalcy by a wonder drug. The months have rolled by, however, and her symptoms have not been alleviated. Perhaps she is in the placebo group. Perhaps, the drug is not able to do anything for her. It hurts to see what is happening to her. I hope that her condition will reach a plateau, where she will be granted a respite from its onslaught. I hope that medicine will achieve one of its all-too-rare miracles, while she is yet able to be helped. Perhaps, if there is any silver lining to her cloud at all, it might be that she is afflicted with the same disease as a couple of famous individuals. Their fame may add impetus to the search for the cure. In a 'perfect world', their star status would have no special bearing at all on the situation, but this is not a fair world. I can hope that their celebrity will have impact on the research being done, and that it will serve to help my friend, as well as all the others who live with this condition. A way to stave off this vicious thief would be more than welcome, indeed.