GranhasParkinson’s

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By Virginia Ironside

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When I was very little, my gran used to jump me in the air … tickle me in the tummy … take me to the shops … and she laughed all the time.

Giggle, giggle, giggle, ha ha ha…

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She was such good fun.

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But now she’s changed. It’s as if my old gran has gone away.She sits in a chair and doesn’t smile, and she doesn’t walk about as much as she used to.

One day she came to dinner and when mum and I were laying the table, I asked: “Has grandma got very old?” My mum said: “Well, she has got a bit older, but the real problem is that she’s got Parkinson’s disease.”

“Who is Parkinson?” I asked. “And what is his disease?”I was rather frightened I’d catch it from gran.

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Mum laughed. “Parkinson was a clever doctor who discovered this special condition which

was named after him,” she said. “And you can’t catch Parkinson’s disease.”

Mum got out the plates and I put out the knives and forks.

“Is Parkinson’s disease what makes her slow?” I asked.

“Yes,” said mum. “Her muscles are getting all stiff and she finds it hard to move as well as she used to.”

“But sometimes she shuffles a bit and then stops,” I said. “Why is that?”

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“But there’s nothing to worry about. If you wait a minute, she’ll start walking again.”

“It’s because her muscles suddenly seize up,” said mum.

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Mum got the glasses out of the cupboard, and I polished them to make them sparkle, and then I found the paper napkins. We always like to make things nice when gran comes over.

“But the other day she fell over,” I said.

“Yes,” said mum. “Just like you used to when you were taking your first steps. That’s to do with Parkinson’s as well. When that happens it’s called ‘freezing’. Suddenly all her muscles stop working and she topples over.”

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“Why does she take so long to eat?” I asked. “It takes ages for gran just to eat her soup!”

“That’s the same problem,” said mum. “None of her muscles are working as quickly as ours, so it takes her a while to lift her spoon and to swallow. So we just have to be patient and wait for her. She’s trying as hard as she can.”

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I folded the napkins into special shapes so they looked nice, and then I got a candle and put it in the middle of table. Then I asked: “Is Parkinson’s why sometimes she can’t speak properly? Because of her muscles slowing up her tongue?”

“Yes, that’s right!” said mum. “Everything that people with Parkinson’s disease do takes a little bit longer than it does for all of us, so it might take a bit longer for her to reply to us.”

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“Why can’t she draw pictures for me like she used to?” I asked.

“Because her hands are slower, too. Her hands are shaky as well, so she finds it more difficult to draw a straight line, and so the pencil goes all over the place. Sometimes she finds it easier to type than to write. Otherwise her handwriting looks like yours when you’re in a hurry!”

Mum put the potatoes on to boil, and lit the oven to warm it up.

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“Why has she got Parkinson’s?” I asked.

“No one knows,” said mum. “But it has something to do with chemicals in the brain. Sadly, doctors can’t make everyone better, though they try hard all the time. Gran takes lots of pills every day which help. Although doctors are trying to find a cure, they haven’t found one yet, even though lots and lots of people have Parkinson’s.”

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“Will she die because of Parkinson’s?” I asked.

“No, she certainly won’t,” said mum. “We all die one day,but it won’t be because of Parkinson’s.”

“Will you get Parkinson’s?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

“I do worry,” I said, “because grandma used to laugh and laugh and laugh, and now she just looks serious all the time. Is she sad? Can I cheer her up?”

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“The only reason she can’t laugh is because she can’t work her laughter muscles like she used to,” said mum, putting some beans into boiling water. “But you can make her happy by being patient when she’s around, and doing her smiling for her. Then you know she’ll be laughing inside, just like she used to.”

When gran came to dinner, she did take a long time eating it, and when she tried to blow out the candle afterwards, she wasn’t able to, and I knew she wanted to make a joke about it and it was only Parkinson’s disease that stopped her.

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My grandma hasn’t really gone away. Inside, she’s still there, laughing and being the lovely gran she always has been.

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She still loves me, and I love her.

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Charity registered in England and Wales No. 258197and in Scotland No. SC037554

A company limited by guarantee,Registered No. 948776 (London)

Registered office 215 Vauxhall Bridge Road,London SW1V 1EJ

© Parkinson’s Disease Society of the United KingdomFebruary 2008 Code B086

Illustrated by Meng-Chia Lai