Personal Narrative: Parkinson's Disease

My mother described her disease as a “silent killer”, something that was extremely difficult for a daughter to hear. I asked her about her

As a child I was very fortunate to have a family like my own; my parents were truly happy and wholly in love. I was incredibly close with my siblings and still am today despite our little fights. Along with being close to my siblings my father and I had a great relationship; most people who knew me would have considered me a “daddy’s girl”. Growing up my father was remarkably proud of my grades and who I was becoming as a person. Oftentimes he would brag about me to anyone who listened. Like most children I dreamed how happy he would be to see me go to college, start a career and have a family of my own. All of that changed on September 9th, 2011 when I found out my dad had been diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

I felt like I couldn 't speak or think. I felt like my heart sunk to my stomach and I felt tears sliding down my cheeks. Right there, I wished there was something I could do. Why was this happening to my grandma?

My grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in early 2005. Visiting him every few years, I could see his recognition abilities deteriorating as the disease progressed. Eventually, he reached the point where he nearly forgot everyone except the one person he had spent the most time with; his wife. At the time of his death in 2013, he was in the advanced stage of Alzheimer’s. My experience with my grandfather and realizing that although many people have to go through this, there is not much awareness of these diseases, inspired me to choose dementia as my topic of interest.

It was two months before my fifth grade graduation and three years from my parents divorce. Little did I know the news my mom told me that day would change my life forever. Tears came down my face when she told me we were going to be moving to New Jersey. At this moment I was feeling very confused and startled. Not only was I upset because I was leaving a place I have called home for eight years, but because I was leaving my friends and most importantly my dad and brother.

Monday through Friday I stayed with my grandmother and great aunt, so that I could go to school. I was in elementary school at the time. I use to listen to my uncle play different types of music on his stereo so that he could mimic the sound with the instruments he was playing. I used to sing along with him dreaming that one day I would be able to sing just like the singers on the albums my uncle would play to. As time went on, my mother met a man that she felt was a good man.

The day I had knee surgery. On February 14th my mother woke me up with a smile on her face to lighten the mood a little, because the next morning would be the day that I would have my first surgery ever. I was really clam in the morning like any other day. It really didn 't hit me that I would have surgery

It was a Saturday when I woke up the next day and we ate breakfast. After that we went to get bolillos and we cooked them into tortas of grilled beef(carne asada). It was the best weekend ever. Though when it was over it was all boring but I realized something really important.

Then she had replied with “ hurry up and eat your breakfast we have to take you to your last appointment ”. I remembered that i had therapy but i didn't want to go i just want to forget about what had happened. I deeply sighed and ate then went upstairs and changed. Then when i had finished i walked downstairs when i had seen my sister on the phone , she was sad and stressed then i

The end of our middle school days. At 4 p.m., I started to dress myself up for the 8th grade school dance. My sister came back from college that weekend to help me do my makeup, since this was the first official school dance I was attending. It was exciting to go to the party, but I was a

In the summer of 2012, was when I was leaving for Virginia. A lot had happened in the previous months before this moment. Things such as my mom getting a new car, getting a new dog, my mom having a heart attack, and so on. Over everything that was happening, the biggest thing was moving across country from Arizona. Although, the hardest part for me was leaving my dad behind.

It was finally the day I got to see my mom after two whole months. She moved to Florida to find a house down there so I could move down with her. For two months it was basically misery. I have never been two weeks without her, let alone 2 months. I was heartbroken and she was too.

November 15, 2014. I remember the day like it was yesterday. I was sitting in history class learning about World War II when the principal called me down to her office. I arrived at her office where she handed me the phone saying it was my mom. I could hear the sorrowful tone of my mom 's voice that she had some negative news.

When we got to our Grandparent’s house, my mom’s family side, in Watertown we had supper and went to church at 7:00. The church was packed so we had to sit in the balcony, and the balcony is cool because it sort of wraps around the top. When we got home we relaxed and just hung out. The next morning I woke up late, and my

couple months after my Mom got pregnant. It was a tough life for us back in the city where I was born, but My Mom knew how to do hair since she was thirteen till now, so That was how we used to survive. I remember before I turned eighteen, in two thousand nine, My Dad brought us in Miami. Life could be much easier for us than before only if we had certain things that were already prepared for us before we came, but the only thing that my dad wanted to do was bringing us here because life in Miami is better than Haiti.