Page 58 - ABILITY Magazine -Cedric Yarbrough Issue

One of the most challenging courses of the program was the six weeks we had to go out in the evenings, four times a week, for 90 minutes and introduce ourselves to people on the street. We were divided into four groups of four, and an adult staff member of the program accompanied each group. We walked down different streets. We introduced ourselves to the people we stopped, explain why we stopped them and then asked them questions.
Parkinson’s snipes at me daily.
When they answered the questions, we had to write down what we felt when we started talking to the peo- ple. When talking to the people, we had to practice our goals. The next morning we reported on the previous night’s activities. Students in each group evaluated their peers.
I can experience a full body attack in which the pain is excruciating and can last for hours. I have become accustomed to the pain. When I have a full body attack, I muster my strength, pray and I repeat this phrase, “I am going to out muscle you by keeping my muscles moving.” I imagine myself arm wrestling the disease. The longer we wrestle, the stronger I become. When my fingers start moving, movement in my wrist, elbow, arm, shoulder and jaw follow. To get my jaw moving either I sing, recite poems or pray out loud.
Even though we were high school students, we had the same privileges as the college students. We slept in the same dorms, ate in the same cafeteria, sat with them, played baseball and other outside games with them and partied with them. They knew why we were there and accepted us. Their acceptance made us feel good about ourselves.
Another weapon in my battle with Parkinson’s is exercise. Exercising daily is an important tool to out- muscling Parkinson’s. When I was at Bloomsburg State Teachers’ college, staying in shape and feeling physically fit were concepts incorporated into our daily program.
During the last two weeks of the program, all of us were interviewed on radio and TV stations to talk about the program. During the last week of the program, each student had to stand in front of our fellow students and teachers for 20 minutes and tell what we thought we had accomplished.
Every day, some part of my body is in pain around the clock. Parkinson’s attacks my legs frequently and at different times in different places. Sometimes only my left leg is attacked. Other times both legs are attacked leaving me immobile. To counter these attacks, I exer- cise religiously 75-to-90 minutes every morning. I ride an exercise bike for 30-40 minutes. I walk 10 minutes for 0.3 of a mile twice a day. I do a variety of finger, hand, wrist, arm and upper-body muscle exer- cises for 12 minutes and then 10 minutes of leg exer- cises. Without these exercises, I believe my physical condition would be more deteriorated than it is.
The last day of the program was emotional for my class- mates and me. We had been through a lot together. We were challenged and triumphed. I was a different per- son. I was in the best physical shape of my life. I was confident, cocky, proud of my achievements and ready to show everyone my accomplishments. When people heard me speak without stuttering, I received kudos from everyone.
A third weapon is my medications. I take four different medications, 25 pills a day, to cope with the pain, stiff- ness, balance, muscle rigidity and other symptoms. Without these medications, I would not function as well as I do.
My successes were I reduced the severity of my blocks, eliminated most secondary symptoms, overcame my fear of speaking in front of others, eliminated my feared words phobia and eliminated starting my conversation then stopping and restarting.
Family support is another weapon. As I needed Sea- mon to counsel me on maintaining the goals of the speech program, I need assistance in dealing with Parkinson’s disease. Such assistance comes from my family and friends.
My Parkinson’s War
My wife Lisa assists me every day at different times. She drives me to the store, the doctor’s office, church and other places. She reminds me to take my medicine, to exercise, to maintain a positive attitude and she will discuss any problems associated with Parkinson’s. She encourages me to be tough and says, “There are no whiners in this house.”
To prevent Parkinson’s disease from conquering me, I assembled an arsenal of weapons.
The Parkinson’s pain caused by muscles tightening is beyond description. When the pain runs through my entire body my jaw locks rendering me speechless. The pain can also be local. It may only be in my legs, or in my hands and arms. Some of the most painful times are having a burning, itching, aching pain behind my left knee cap for hours. When this situation happens, I wind up on my stomach or back for hours.
Additional assistance is provided by my physical thera- pist Kevin Linde, I see him twice a week for an hour. When I see him, I discuss how I feel and what chal- lenges I have faced since my last visit. Linde has a deep understanding of Parkinson’s. He has developed a flexi- ble program to help me deal with many Parkinson’s
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