Reeling from their fresh diagnosis, John and Mary drove home in silence.
That evening after dinner, Mary broke the silence. “How do we know if you really have Parkinson’s Disease? Is this the kind of thing that requires a second opinion?”
“I don’t know,” John answered slowly, “I’m not even sure what kind of doctor I need to see. Our family doctor mentioned Neurologists and Movement Disorder Specialists, but I just don’t know.”
“Well, I know a few things, John,” Mary assured, “I love you and we’re in this together and we’re going to keep asking questions until we understand the answers.”
With watery eyes, they embraced and held each other more tightly than they had in years.
Families grapple with fresh diagnoses more often than you might imagine. Not all find the mutual support modeled above, and far from all ask enough questions.
As the family caregiver or the patient, keep asking and keep learning. Many families experience an initial burst of fact finding, internet searching, and doctor visits, but soon give up and settle for their initial findings.
As I have met and talked with hundreds of families affected by a chronic illness or condition, I find the ones who thrive and improve their lives are the ones who continue asking and learning.
So, what’s your next ask? What do you need to learn? How can you encourage someone in your family to ask and learn?
Worth Repeating
I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
-Maya Angelou
