Less than a week after my diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in May 1996, I was scheduled to make a presentation at my local Toastmasters meeting. Toastmasters International is an organization that provides a program in oral communication and leadership training.
I arrived early and paced back and forth from the meeting room to the bathroom. I felt as though I was going to throw up. I wasn’t sure why I was so nervous – whether it was public speaking in general or the topic of my speech in particular.
The feedback on previous speeches was always the same: “You didn’t seem nervous except for the tremor in your left hand.” I dismissed the comment, believing that the tremor was caused by public speaking anxiety. Another member’s feedback was: “Your left arm and hand just seemed to hang there and served no useful purpose,” while another participant commented, “You didn’t seem to show any facial expression.”
I was slated to speak first. There was still time to chicken out, but I was no chicken. My name was called. I sauntered to the front of the room. I looked at the audience and saw the eyes of twenty men and no women. Where were the women? I panicked.
“Good evening, fellow Toastmasters,” I proceeded, and there was no turning back. I described my symptoms of PD and thanked the Toastmasters for diagnosing my PD with their previous feedback. The audience was mesmerized. The timekeeper flicked on the red light indicating my time was almost up. My message needed to be heard, so I continued beyond my allotted time. I ended the speech. Twenty men stood and clapped wildly. I returned to my place, put my head on the table and sobbed inconsolably.
From then on, I affectionately referred to this group as the Toastmasters Doctors.
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