At 30 years old, Ben Petrick, former catcher for the Colorado Rockies professional baseball team, has been battling Parkinson’s (PD) for seven years. He returned to Denver this week to increase awareness about PD and to offer his message of hope.
When I read Terry Frei’s story, Petrick Positive in Face of Parkinson’s in The Denver Post on July 1, 2007, I was struck by a couple of things.
Ben was diagnosed of this “old person’s disease” at the age of 23.
Ben’s father, Vern, also has PD.
Ben described himself as follows: “I have two bodies. I have one that, when the medication is working, I function pretty well. I have another that doesn't function well at all when the medication isn't working. When the medication's working, I can hit, I can throw, I can shoot hoops…When I'm off, I kind of just turn to stone."
It dawned on me that I also have two bodies with PD.
When my medication and deep brain stimulation’s settings are working, my body’s nickname might be Competent Kate. With this body, I almost seem normal, exhibit little or no tremors or dyskinesia, walk with a purposeful stride and have a strong voice. However, when my medications and stimulator settings are not working properly, my other body, Calamity Kate emerges with her slow movements, stiff posture and slurred words.
Consequently, I have one life with two unpredictable bodies with PD.
What percentage of your time is spent in each body?
Posted by: Tom | July 08, 2007 at 09:01 PM