Parkinson's Disease Speech

Have you ever thought about having no control over how your body functions and when it decides to do it? You know how to wave your hand or even simply feed yourself. But when the moment comes your hand won’t stop shaking or you can’t control your muscles. Your body wants one thing, but the disease wants another. This is called Parkinson’s disease; a disease that slowly takes over a person’s nervous system and impairs their speech and bodily movements. Can you even fathom being affected by this disease? This disease imposes many problems for the person it has imprisoned. Parkinson’s takes away a patient’s ability to be independent. Every day, simple tasks of healthy humans become an unconquerable activity for people with Parkinson’s. As technology

That man would be my grandpa. In 2010, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Over time I have seen this life-altering disease spread through his body. I promise you, this is something no one should ever have to experience. A perfectly healthy man six years ago, now has problems feeding himself and even using his hands at all. His speech has diminished over time, along with no control over his nervous system. Imagine that, not being able to feed yourself. The thought of constant spasms and uncontrollable shaking scares me as well. At numerous doctor’s appointments I have attended with him, most doctors tell me there is no way to describe what he is experiencing. Some have told me to look at him and imagine him completely still. Then they tell me while he is perfectly still all the nerves in his body are continuously shaking out of his own control. Andrew Feigin, a Parkinson’s disease researcher at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, New York said, “The clinical signs of the disease are just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a lot going on under the surface that we don’t yet recognize” (Konkel). I’ve watched him battle this disease over the last six years and even though he hasn’t given up, the disease is too strong for man to conquer. What bothers him the most is losing his individuality. He can’t control what