Parkinson's awareness month isn't until April. However, one year ago today my wonderful father-in-law 
had his life changed forever by this disease.
I've only had the pleasure of knowing Robert Pratt for six years, and I'm sad to say that it hasn't been long enough. To understand what a special person my second "Dad" is, you have to know some of his history.
Bob was born in Aitken, Minnesota. His family was not well-off, and he was the son of a local turkey farmer. He met his sweetheart, Karin Sarff, in high school. As soon as Bob was old enough to enlist, he joined the Army and left his family to serve in the Korean war. While on the journey home across the Pacific from his first tour of duty, a friend loaned him the money to buy Karin an engagement ring. Soon after Bob returned home they were married.
Bob stayed in the military for the rest of his career. He and Karin moved all over - San Francisco, St. Louis, Phoenix, Honolulu, Greece, Italy... I'm sure that there are some I'm forgetting.
Unable to have a baby of their own, Bob and Karin adopted two wonderful boys - Jim and Tom.
Bob was soon sent to serve two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was a helicopter mechanic in the 7th Calvary Regiment. If you've seen the movie "We Were Soldiers", you might remember the unit patch to the left on the uniforms of the soldiers.
Shortly after Bob returned from Vietnam, the family was stationed in Hawaii. It was here that Karin found out she was pregnant with their third son, and my amazing husband, Jeff.
After a few more moves, the Pratt family settled in Chisholm, Minnesota. Bob had finished three masters degrees during his time in the military, and upon retirement became the teacher for the JROTC program at Chisholm High School. Jim and Tom went off to Norwich and became Marines. Tragically, shortly after graduation, Jim died in a training accident in San Diego.
Bob and Karin packed up Jeff and their belongings and moved to Las Vegas for retirement. Six years ago in early Novemeber I met Bob and Karin for the first time. I could tell that this family was special. For all that they had given their country, they never wanted recognition. They quietly went about their retirement years until Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson's.
The disease progressed quickly. Bob went from working on restoring older cars and being the type of guy
that never sat down to walking with a cane. When Jeff and I were married just two short years ago - Bob couldn't even dance at our wedding.
Bound and determined not to let this disease affect his quality of life anymore, Bob opted for a surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation. This surgery is used to implant electrodes in the brain that control the tremors from Parkinson's. Although the surgery is not a cure, and the disease continues to affect the brain and nervous system - it was a ray of hope for relief from the symptoms.
One year ago, my Bob went in for surgery. I was recovering from a recent hip replacement, and I was unable to travel to Las Vegas for his surgery. My husband went out there with hope that his Dad would be fine.
I talked to Bob the night before he went in. He told me that he found a 1984 BMW 635csi on E-bay that he was going to restore for me once he got better - that's how certain he was that he was doing the right thing. I told him how much I loved him, and how I admired him for taking a chance at making his life better. He told me that he owed me a dance from my wedding still and that he loved me too. It was the last time I would ever talk to him on the phone and be able to understand him clear as a bell.
The doctor made a horrible mistake. He told Bob to stop taking his anti-tremor medicine the day before surgery. It was written down on his paperwork. The doctor was wrong. He was supposed to wean off the medication over a course of weeks before the procedure. Because of this, Bob had a seizure during the operation. Even though his head was secured, his body shook violently. This scare caused the doctor to nick part of Bob's brain. Blood quickly pooled where the delicate tissue had been cut. The doctor had permanently damaged Bob's brain.
Bob spent the next six months in nursing homes. A few times his blood pressure dropped so drastically that we almost lost him. Due to a lack of quality nursing care, Bob was moved to a new facility. He started to make progress here, but he still couldn't speak or swallow. A feeding tube was insterted into his stomach. After a lot of hard work, Bob was finally able to come home... in a wheelchair.
Not long after finally making it home, he had a heart attack and we almost lost him again. I can't believe what a fighter this man is.
I'm happy to report that Bob is making good progress. Although his speech is still hard to understand, he is starting to walk with a cane instead of being confined to bed or a wheelchair. I'll be seeing him soon, on October 26th - and I can't wait.
I know that Bob will never be the same as he was before his operation. But, I'm just happy that he is coming out of the dark depression he was in and starting to have a better quality of life.
Finding a cure is now such an important cause to me. I know that it's too late for Bob, but it's not too late for others. When April does roll around, if there is a Parkinson's walk or run near you please participate. Families like mine will greatly appreciate your help.
About the Author: Kristina Pratt is a REALTOR® with Goshen Realty Group at RE/MAX Preferred Partners in Edwardsville, Illinois. She and Nancy Milton help their customers buy and sell homes and investment properties in St. Louis' Illinois suburbs of Madison and St. Clair counties with special emphasis on the communities of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Maryville, Collinsville and Troy. For more information, visit their web site at http://www.GoshenRealtyGroup.com or e-mail Kristina@GoshenRealtyGroup.com
My grandmother had Parkinson's Disease too. It was so hard to watch her. Back in the early 1970's her doctors had a hard time diagnosing her - 1st they said it was Bell's Palsy.
I have re-blogged this post...to get the word out.
Parkinson's and other neurological or neuro-muscular disorders are very difficult to deal with. The families and loved ones suffer too. My aunt is living with advanced Alzheimer's and my best friend is living with Parkinson's. The tremors and shaking makes it almost impossible to tie his shoe laces. At times it is very difficult to understand my friends speech too- a deep voice, with trembling sounds.
I've read about the advances of stem cell research- perhaps one day there will be a cure.
My grandmother had Parkinson's from the time that my sister was a baby and she struggled with this debilating disease for over 20 years. She was a slight woman but once her "tremors" and spells came on she felt as though she weighed more than a ton of bricks. My mother and grandfather primarily helped to care for her and this took a great toll on my mother. This was hard to understand as a child or for most if they were to see how "stiff" she would become. I have much empathy for anyone dealing with this disease. My prayers are with you and your family.
Kristina - I am sorry about what happened to Bob during surgery - that is very sad. I hope with continued care and rehabilitation, he will improve. There definitely needs to be more of an awareness of Parkinsons because most people do not know that the disease progesses - a friend of mine's husband just got diagnosed.
Marlene - Thank you for the touching re-blog.
Mott - I wish nothing but the best for your aunt and best friend. A lot of people know about the physical side of the disease, but few realize what a dark trap the depression is that goes along with losing your independence. Thank you for commenting.
Eric - Thank you for taking the time to comment and share your story. I hope that we can spread the word about the daily lives of those with Parkinson's.
Sharon - Thank you. It's been hard for our family, but we are happy that we are starting to see progress. I wish your friend and her husband all the best. I hope we can find a cure for him soon.
My Prayers are with you and your family. I know it's a horrible disease to have to face.
My prayers are forever with you and your family. What a tragedy this was and must be for all of you.... it is amazing to hear that he is still trying to recover though. he is definitely a fighter.