Achievement Badges

A Tribute to the Strong Hearted

For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Gay has lived with Parkinson’s disease. However, it wasn’t until I was older that I began to understand what having Parkinson’s really meant. When I was still a little boy, I was constantly trying to figure out the severity of this disease. I was asking myself questions like: Will my aunt be taken from us to soon? How much does Parkinson’s limit her? and most of all, How hard is coping with this disease on her spirit?

The symptoms I witnessed concerned me greatly. I knew this disease was non- life threatening but I could see how much my aunt was struggling with it. The slowness, the stiffness, and the constant whirling movements, that I now know are called dyskinesias, all made the daily tasks of life more difficult for her. But, the worst of all are balance issues that cause her to fall. I felt terrible for her and prayed for improvement.

Then came this remarkable treatment, a brain surgery to lessen the symptoms of my Aunt’s Parkinson’s. We were all incredibly hopeful that the surgery would be a success. Yet, we were all filled with worry that the surgery would not improve her condition, and we were scared there could be life threatening complications as brain surgery is risky. I could see and hear the fear my mom had about the operation and as a child I knew if she was scared, I should be terrified. And, I couldn’t sleep until the news came the surgery went well. Once I saw the outcome of it, I was so relieved, my Aunt Gay was moving better than ever.

But even with the brain surgery, in time her condition has worsened, except her spirit never goes down with it. As a child I told you I was worried Aunt Gay’s experiences with Parkinson’s would weigh her down mentally. Well, let me tell you there has not been one second of my life where she has not proved me wrong. This disease never took one bit of her mind or her heart. Her immense love for her family and her kind/understanding spirit has never taken one step back because of Parkinson’s. That is why this is A Tribute to the Strong Hearted. Because I have never met anyone who refuses to let anything weigh them down or get in the way of being there for their family like my Aunt Gay.

Parkinson’s disease does not own Gayle Maloney… Gayle Maloney owns it and you should too.

Campton Matthews
Nephew of Gayle Maloney