Gazing at the Future

Steve M. Blevins

doi:10.1370/afm.1000

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Hope
David Iverson

Published on: 22 September 2009
Yesterday and Tomorrow
Michael S Okun

Published on: 22 September 2009

Published on: (22 September 2009)
Page navigation anchor for Hope
Hope
David Iverson, Menlo Park, California
I'd like to thank Dr. Blevins for his thoughtful commentary. Over the past six months I've had the opportunity to speak to numerous Parkinson's groups ... and I think the hunger for hope is a common denominator for everyone who struggles with this condition. As the theologian Peter Gomes has written "Life begins when you run with what you've got." For those of us with Parkinson's, the ability to "run" with what we've got...
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I'd like to thank Dr. Blevins for his thoughtful commentary. Over the past six months I've had the opportunity to speak to numerous Parkinson's groups ... and I think the hunger for hope is a common denominator for everyone who struggles with this condition. As the theologian Peter Gomes has written "Life begins when you run with what you've got." For those of us with Parkinson's, the ability to "run" with what we've got is crucial. And as Dr. Blevins suggests ... believing in a future is what helps us continue to push forward.
Dave Iverson Co-producer/correspondent "My Father, My Brother and Me"
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Published on: (22 September 2009)
Page navigation anchor for Yesterday and Tomorrow
Yesterday and Tomorrow
Michael S Okun, Gainesville, FL USA
This is a beautifully written story about how a disease in a doctor's favorite patient tragically becomes his own. The doctor is understandably distraught about the diagnosis. His medical training immediately pushes him towards the magical crystal ball. He like many other physicians and patients before him, attempts to predict his own future. He wishes for yesterday.
One tear for yesterday, But yesterday i...
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This is a beautifully written story about how a disease in a doctor's favorite patient tragically becomes his own. The doctor is understandably distraught about the diagnosis. His medical training immediately pushes him towards the magical crystal ball. He like many other physicians and patients before him, attempts to predict his own future. He wishes for yesterday.
One tear for yesterday, But yesterday is gone, More than one tear for tomorrow, For there will be more wrongs.
Yesterday's tear will never be forgotten, Yesterday's glory will not repeat, So, shed a tear for yesterday, For yesterday and today will never meet.
Over the years it has been an honor to care for many physicians who were diagnosed or who alternatively self-diagnosed Parkinson's disease. The story in my practice always plays out in close to the same fashion- a little shoulder pain, some shakiness, trouble with handwriting, etc. Following the diagnosis the Parkinson's physician and the physician who treats Parkinson's embark on a journey together. We wish for yesterday, but together we learn to look toward tomorrow. We, like Dr. Blevins, realize that tomorrow is pretty darn good, and that it may be time to toss the old-fashioned medical crystal ball. In my own career I have seen remarkable advancements in interdisciplinary care, medicines, surgery, and research into Parkinson's disease. Therefore, in my view it doesn't take a crystal ball to know patients with Parkinson's disease should look toward tomorrow.
Michael S. Okun, M.D. National Medical Director, National Parkinson Foundation
References: Okun, M.S. Lessons From the Bedside. Authorhouse, 1995.
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.