FAMILY INTERVIEWS IN DALLAS
Bob:
You saw the tapes of the news stories done on us so far, what was your reaction to them?
Dad:
The most dramatic reaction I had to them was how I looked. I know that I’m slower. I know that my speech is not quite as clear as it once was. But my posture, my movements, just overall, appear more affected by Parkinson’s than I had anticipated. And I was thinking about it today, when I write, I have to concentrate very hard. My writing is almost ineligible -- inell -- (laughs) -- you can’t read it. but I find that If I concentrate real hard and take it slow, I can still do it. The difficulty is when there’s a lot to write I lose patience and begin to write small. It’s the same thing with walking, talking -- I have to remember to be a little slower. When I talk - - I’ve always been kind of a fast talker -- I have to be a little bit more deliberate. I feel like I’m doing a better job of that right now I feel like I’m doing a better job of talking. (My awkward appearance on the news) may have been a little bit nerves. I notice that nerves affect my ability to -- if I’m talking in front of a group, it’s a little more difficult than just talking here, you and me. It’ll be interesting, I’ve been practicing paying attention to my posture, paying attention to my facial expressions and I’ve been practicing paying attention to my talking. And I think I can make a difference. We’ll see.
Bob:
So would you say awareness is perhaps...
Dan:
Awareness is always the first step. No question about it And that’s the case here.
Bob:
What do you think about the way we are experiencing some of these Parkinson’s groups not communicating?
Dan:
I’ve heard it more second hand from you. But it’s unfortunate. I’m assuming you’re getting the message correctly. It’s not unheard of, but still unfortunate. I don’t know enough about it.
Bob:
As a Parkinsonian, what do you want more than anything from the Parkinson’s groups?
Dan:
Primarily find a cure. I’m okay financially, I’m not looking for financial support. Emotional support would be an enhancement. But what I want more than anything is a cure. I hope that there aren’t efforts that are separate, being duplicated, that are working toward the cure. So I hope that there aren’t efforts being expended, being duplicated, that could go toward a cure.
Bob:
What does it mean to be alive?
Dan:
For me?
Bob:
Yeah.
Dan:
I’ve gone through some changes there. I’ve got some expectations based on how I ‘ve lived. We were out last night and people were dancing. And I can’t dance anymore, that’s a part of life that’s gone. Or if I do, it’s in a very limited fashion. I can’t move to a beat. That’s always been something that I’ve enjoyed doing. It’s kind of like there’s been a little bit of my life that has been taken away from me. That’s one example.
Bob:
When you see pieces of your life being taken away how does it make you feel?
Dan:
Resentful. Certainly, I try not to dwell on it. I try to live as a person who does the best I can with what I have, but a thought that occurred to me last night and I expressed it to Paulette was that I’m glad I did as much dancing as I did. So I’m thankful for that. We did a lot of dancing.
Bob:
What does it mean to be an American?
Dan:
To me it means freedom -- freedom of all kinds. And that’s the most important thing to me the ability to do what I want to do, express myself the way I want to express myself and understand that it has restrictions -- I can’t say anything I want to say, the old story about not yelling fire in a crowded theater. You can’t do harm and that makes sense. But that’s what it means to me to be an American, to be able to be free to pursue your dreams while respecting others.
Bob:
What’s the greatest baseball play you’ve ever seen?
Dan:
I hate to say it, but it might be Kirk Gibson in the World Series.
Bob:
How did you feel when that happened?
Dan:
I felt pretty bad. But it was great execution and seeing this old guy limping around the bases...he was as “old” as me, but still playing baseball.
Bob:
Where do baseball and life come together?
Dan:
Boy, I wish I had these questions in writing.
Bob:
What does baseball mean to you?
Dan:
Baseball is more of a communication with my son than anything else, than with other people around me. It’s a way of sharing time and experiences. I didn’t enjoy it growing up, particularly, and I do enjoy it now. And I enjoy the drama of the game, the action of the game and I enjoy sharing it. I enjoy talking about it.
Bob:
What is the importance of this trip?
Dan:
The importance of this trip is to spend time with my son. Secondly is to meet some wonderful people and develop an awareness for Parkinson’s. And finally, to make a movie and hopefully spread the word about Parkinson’s through that movie.
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