How Can You Help Me If You Don't Believe Me?

About the Book

The author will explain why you need to question the doctor if he doesn’t acknowledge the symptoms as a part of the disease. Why it is important to search through research medical journal reviews to discover if other patients have reported your symptoms. To keep up-to-date on diagnosis tools available to confirm your diagnosis. Do not be afraid to ask your health insurance to cover the costs of tests. Get second opinions.

About the Author

The author has lived with young onset Parkinson’s (YOPD) for over twenty years. She has researched her illness during all this time. She strongly believed her symptoms are real, and when questioned by medical professionals, she would seek proof that what she was feeling was real. Eventually she was able to prove her diagnosis through genetic testing and an F-DOPA scan. Doctors continue to question her choice to have DBS (deep brain stimulation), but the medical articles she researched indicated she was an excellent candidate. She continues to ask the same question the young boy in the movie Sixth Sense asked, “If you don’t believe me, how can you help me?” The author leads a good quality of life, thanks to her husband, David, who helps and supports her and the love of her three sons. She is a grandma of four grandchildren and regrets her inability to babysit due to her illness. She remains active in her community volunteering at a local middle school library and playing in a local community band. St. Paul, Minnesota, is where she has made her home. She occasionally walks along the Mississippi River banks and reflects of her past, but more often looks forward to the future God has planned for her.