Can a Cure be Far Behind?
Can you imagine a scenario where you get an injection at the first sign of Parkinson's and never have to worry about it again? I'll be first in line when the cure is dispensed and we are able to recover the cells that will enable us to lead normal lives.
The only thing more depressing than suffering with Parkinson's and not being able to do anything about it is undergoing the surgery and experiencing the same problems. But I had no doubts at any time during the preparation that it was going to work. I made up my mind that it was going to work, and that was that. No further questions. As it played out, it was almost as if I had scripted the event and results.
HARRY KNITTER is a six-time author and ten-year Parkinsonian. As the new devices take effect, he is introducing three new books this year: Never Give Up – New Hope for Parkinson's Patients, Casino Gambling Could be Hazardous to your Wealth, and Holding Pattern: Airport Waiting Made Easy. All three are designed to be helpful, non-technical references well as sources that are both entertaining and informational.
Nancy, his wife and carpenter, has written one book and one chapter for this book. They have threes sons and two grandchildren.
Harry Knitter covers a lot of his life in this book, prior to, during, and after his deep brain stimulation surgery. He is a seven-time author, having founded his publishing company in 1996. His company is called Kordene Publications, Ltd., and he is the president. Harry has been an avid writer since he was a child, growing up on the south side of Milwaukee.
His dad ran a small grocery store, but he was forced out of business by the intrusion of supermarket chain stores. He has one surviving brother and one sister, both of whom live in Milwaukee.
While he lived in the Milwaukee area, Harry was editor of the Menomonee Falls News for three years and a reporter for the Waukesha Daily Freeman. He was transferred to Michigan by Chrysler Corporation after they acquired the engine division of The West Bend Co. in 1961.
Harry and his wife, Nancy, have three children and two grandchildren.
How many times can you express your appreciation to the doctor and staff who have preserved your life and helped you to defeat the disease that was making it difficult to live?
A thousand times?
A thousand times thousand?
That's the way I feel about the team that took me through surgery and made it possible for me to enjoy a handicap-free lifestyle once again. Especially Dr. Fred Junn, who handled the surgery so deftly. Even his finishing touches were incredibly well done, and you can hardly tell I ever had surgery.
Dr. Richard Trosch, who has been a godsend since we moved closer to our grandbabies. Dr. Dragos Mihaila, who is a fellow working with Dr. Trosch, is a breath of fresh air. Since he is just starting his career, we wish him nothing but good things in the future. Head Nurse, Jeanne Draggoo, R.N.,is about as good as they come. She's competent, loyal, hard working, and effective -- and a little under-appreciated. Helping me throughout this difficult process were the wonderful nurses of Beaumont hospital, including Michael Cummins, Jane Carter, and Patricia Aldridge.
I'd also like to thank Actor Michael J. Fox for his tireless efforts to stamp out Parkinson's disease in our lifetime and for his magnificent fundraising efforts in our behalf. There are a lot of people shuffling around, wondering what to do with this disease, and wondering what the heck is happening with their jobs, their family lives, and their lives in general. They, like me, fall into the rut of bewildering hopelessness and confusion that snags all Parkinsonians at one time or another.
I'm not a doctor, a surgeon, a technician nor even an expert. I'm just the guy down the street, your typical guy, your next door neighbor, the fellow who was able to turn his Parkinson's condition upside down and begin looking to the future . . . optimistically for a change.
I can't say enough for my loyal care partner, Nancy. She has seen me at my worst, and now I hope she will see me at the other end of the spectrum. She has been in my corner all the while, from start to finish. (With a wink, she says that if I get to be a rich and famous author, she'll take the rich part). And my three sons, who stood by while I was at my worst points in the hospital.
After I returned home, number 1 son Scott gave me invaluable help in editing the script. Also, my good friend Mike Hogan in Peoria, Arizona, was a tremendous help in improving the copy. I owe you big time, Mike.
If you are a victim of Parkinson's, I have one objective: I hope this book, if nothing else, will bring you hope.
