My mom found out about a Parkinson’s support group several years ago and had thought often about going, but never did. We recently decided to make it a priority. Today my mom, sister, and I went to the group. It was “football month”, so my sister and I wore our team garb. We were greeted at the door by a woman who introduced herself and sent us along to the check-in table where more friendly women welcomed us. They gave us name tags and an information sheet to fill out and showed us to the “newcomer’s table”. I had been in email contact with the president of the group who came over and introduced himself. As I looked around the room, I saw people of all ages who showed different symptoms and severity of Parkinson’s. It was quite interesting to see this diverse, yet connected group all together. The meeting of about 130 people started the same as most with some business to take care of. The main speaker was a doctor who has been doing research on Parkinson’s for many years. He talked technical and medical and I got lost a few times, but I was able to understand most of it. He explained what happens to the cells in the part of the brain that causes the disease. He talked about how the medications that my mom is taking affect the body. His enthusiasm grew as he went on to tell about a new drug he has been testing. I found the whole presentation fascinating. After the speaker there was a potluck lunch and the “newcomers” were invited to be first through the line. We received a newsletter that was full of information. The person who was in charge of the caregiver’s group came over and invited my sister and I to come to their next meeting. While it was a long morning for my mom, she enjoyed the group. It was uplifting to realize that she is not alone in this battle. We met some great people and learned a lot.

I Found God today in the support of others experiencing the same disease as my mom.