I am so excited about Michael J Fox returning to television. He has a progressive illness (putting mildly), and has found a way to move forward, and giving this a try. As someone who is asked why I want to work after all that I have been through, and all that may happen, this is more than just a sitcom.
I am thrilled, inspired and stoked about Think/Able I've been doing it for years and people now get to see it as a possibility. Because hey, nothing really happens unless it's on the TV machine. Everyone's experience is different, and not everyone with a chronic illness recovers to be well enough to go back to work. But I love that this series plants a seed that patients with chronic illness don't have to crawl into bed and stay there. That if patients are able to survive the worst or manage their symptoms, that life can begin again. Of course, it may not be what we had planned.
Two Saturdays ago as I enjoyed an afternoon of training for a new career path. I was a bit in awe for two reasons.
1. At age 30, I could not imagine I would still be here at age 42. I thought for sure scleroderma was going to rob me of the amazing life I have had since 2001. Scleroderma added giant obstacles, but I'm still here.
2. There I was taking on a new career quite seriously. It's not the nursing career I imagined in my 20's and I didn't care. I felt like I was in the right place. I can manage this schedule and I have faith I will achieve my goals.
The Michael J. Fox show is fictional. I don't have Parkinson's. But people with Parkinson's, Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis, Lupus, Diabetes and too many things to list here, have shared experiences like loss, grief, victories, successes and weird-ass medical experiences. I am excited for Michael J. Fox the human, who is working with what he has, and stepping out there to do what he loves. He gets to go back to work making people laugh. I am going back to work to play with make up and people. When I was a teenager, I did want to be a make-up artist. So yes, I get to do what I love as well. I'm back at the beginning. I'm no spring chicken, but I have the heart and drive of an 18 year old.
So, what can you do? Check out The Michael J. Fox Foundation on Facebook, or anywhere on the web. Tune into the show tonight, but don't spoil it for me. I have to miss the premiere because I may not make it back in time from Krav Maga with my son. Watch the show. It's fictional, but behind fiction and humor is some truth. And as the foundation put so well into words, Think/Able. Learn about it, and be inspired.
What? You don't have Parkinson's? Hey, we are in this together. Progress in one disease helps research of all diseases. So check out The Michael J. Fox Foundation.
To learn more about scleroderma, start here with the Scleroderma Research Foundation, but they are not the only "church" in town, but they are the best place to start.
To donate to help find a cure for scleroderma, check out Bounce to a Cure and make a tax deductible donation for research and patient education.
And if you feel like doing some shopping and would like to show support for this blog, check out my online store, here. (that was a shameless plug btw...)
No comments:
Post a Comment