In 1983 Jeanne and I moved from California to Alabama where we established a decorating and remodeling business, and also began enjoying the everyday events of the 40 acre hobby farm we moved to. We have five Daughters, seven Grandchildren, and three Greats.
In 1996 Jeanne was diagnosed with Parkinson’s; within 3 years her condition had worsened to include severe shaking and the loss of her beautiful smile.
Sometime in 2001 was the beginning of the worsening of the stooped posture, freeze-up symptoms and the shuffle walk gradually got worse.
We were usually able to travel and visit the other children once a year up until about 2004, at that point long trips became difficult and were very tiring on Jeanne, and at that point we limited our travel to day trips.
In 2009 at age 70 Jeanne acquired a Virtual Walker and after several months of training her gait and freeze-ups had improved so much that we recently took a five day trip to visit friends and family in Arkansas. I am not sharing this to promote anything I am just sharing something that really worked for my wife and has improved our quality of life for the moment.
Jeanne says "I am still getting used to my new freedom while walking and I find myself unconsciously reaching for Dan’s hand for support. I still use my cane for that extra secure feeling during my off times or if I become over tired and shaky. I am looking forward to some more travel and the ability to participate in the fun with the kids when we are together. I still train with my virtual walker most mornings unless I am having a bad off day".