I was diagnosed with Parkinsons at the age of 31. I was a full-time firefighter/paramedic but had to retire in 1998. The past eleven years I worked at a variety of places, but mainly retail management.

My life changed when I was hired as a group home manager in June of 2008. Our residents all have mental disabilities. Some worse than others, but I love them all. I am in charge of a direct care staff of 18 guys and gals. This job is very challenging, but it's worth the effort just to see the residents smile.

When faced with a degenerative disease like PD, I try to treat it like a mild inconvenience. Many people are faced with a lot more obstacles than I, so there's no reason to dwell on things I can't do and concentrate more on things I can.

Parkinsons cannot kill me, it can only hold me back if I allow it to. Guess what, I ain't gonna let that happen!

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