About

Mary Ann and I have been married for over forty-three years now.  For twenty-two of them she has had the diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease.  As anyone who has a spouse with a chronic disease understands, both have the disease.  There are no longer just the two of us, but three, Mary Ann, Pete and the Parkinson’s.  Since we can’t make the Parkinson’s go away, we have to decide what place it will have in our journey.  Rather than fight it or concede to its rule, we simply live meaningfully and fulfilling lives in its company.  With that said, there is nothing easy about living meaningful and fulfilling lives in the company of Parkinson’s or any other chronic disease for that matter.  This blog intends to provide some practical tools for dealing with the daily challenges of chronic disease, as well as some ways of understanding the task of caregiving that nurture the spirit.

9 Responses to “About”

  1. dianeparishnurse Says:

    June 14, 2009 at 7:26 pm

    i love your attitude and description above. i have a relative with alzheimers and have recently come to same conclusion regarding living meaningful lives in company of alzheimers. thanks, diane

    Reply
  2. Karen Koch Says:

    August 30, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    How inspiring … incredible ministry to all of us as we face life’s battles. Thank you for sharing. Mercy, like goodness, follows all of us in life because of God’s grace. You remind us all that God is our strength through all of our journey. We are delighted to know Denis and Lisa and your lovely granddaughters — a great gift to our church family. My mother died 10 years ago and lived her last five years with Parkinson’s. We understand the toll it can take on the caregiver and family. Blessings to you and Mary Ann and may each day hold special happiness and momemnts of remission from the debilitating disease of Parkinson’s. In our prayers, Karen & Leroy

    Reply
  3. PeterT Says:

    August 31, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Thanks for your comments. We are pretty proud of Lisa, Denis and the girls — just sad that they live so far away from us. Having been through Parkinson’s with your Mother certainly gives you an appreciation for the ups and downs that come with it. We appreciate your prayers.

    Reply
  4. MarianCutler Says:

    April 7, 2010 at 11:38 am

    If you have time, wanted to invite you to an online chat “What’s New, What’s Next in PD Management” this afternoon (April 7th) with a leading PD expert from Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia).

    During this online check-up you’ll have ample time to ask a wide range of questions about PD. Please email me (mcutler@rxmosaic.com) for a proper invitation.

    Sincerely,
    Marian

    Reply
  5. Robert Laskey Says:

    June 8, 2010 at 11:38 am

    Dear Pastor,

    I am Tom Laskey’s father. I was talking to him this morning and he told me about the life you have been leading, dealing with (and living with) Parkinson. My wife has started the early stages of dementia, with a very noticeable drop in short term memory. This disease has been prevalent in her family through several generations. Grandmother, aunt, cousins, brother and sister all had various types of this disease. We have been married 63 years and it is my intention to be her caregiver, as long as it is possible for me to do so. My prayer will be with you and your family during this partictularly hard time.

    Reply
  6. Raymond Tremain Says:

    November 14, 2011 at 9:37 pm

    Dear Ps. Peter I can only imagine what you must have gone thro, but the one thing that made it all the more easier was that you had God on your side, where most people may not even know God as the Savior and Healer, but I can say you were so blessed in being able to keep going for the whole time you had your wife with you.

    Now praise God she is at home with at peace with our Lord Jesus.
    God loves all
    Raymond

    Reply
  7. Brook Cline Says:

    March 11, 2012 at 1:17 pm

    I would like to share with you a book my friend Kathy Hatfield is writing, about the lighter side, if you will, while she cared for her father whom had Alzheimer’s .She is working with KickStarter on the funding for the project and basically just needs some help getting the word out. The title on Kickstarter is “Tales of a KnowItAlz – Laughing My Way Through Alzheimer’s” by Kathy Hatfield. We would greatly appreciate any help spreading with the word.

    Thank you,
    Brook Cline

    Reply
  8. Barbara Says:

    August 7, 2013 at 12:21 pm

    My sister and I are dealing with, what seems like, my Mom’s final stages of this disease. Watching her go through this is horrible and now she is have Hallucinations and I feel so helpless. I try to re assure her but she prides herself at age 89 to still be sharp as a wip. Don’t know what else we can do. Does anyone have advise for us?

    Thank you
    Barbara

    Reply
  9. PeterT Says:

    August 7, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Barbara, I wish there was some way to stop the progression of the disease, especially the Dementia. There are some medications that sometimes help for a while, Mary Ann took Seroquel. The meds often bring with them side effects that can create problems. The Dementia is Parkinson’s Disease Dementia [PDD] which is a Lewy Body Dementia [LBD]. It is like a roller coaster ride between lucidity, confusion and mostly hallucinations. I found the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA) to be very helpful. Their site provides a wealth of information. It may not provide solutions, but I found it helpful to learn more about what to expect. It helped me accept what I could not change. That is actually your central task, to accept what comes and love her through the craziness. It is likely to take you to the limit of your ability to cope, so taking care of yourself is primary to remaining able to help her. I accompanied Mary Ann to the very end and saw the limits of my ability to cope, I celebrate the time we had together.

    Reply

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