Joyce Heitner

From Joyce - written several years ago: Hello, my name is Joyce Heitner and I have Parkinson's Disease. I'm not much of a speaker, but Janet asked me to try, so here it goes. As a child I grew up in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn. As a young wife and mother we moved to Marlboro. I have worked at various occupations. I was a dental assistant working for an orthodontist and later I worked at Kingsbridge Medical Center in the OR and in the clinic working with people with various disabilities such as cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, stroke victims etc. In 1980, when my mother in law passed away, I felt depressed and needed to do something, so I took a course in CPR. My neighbor happened to be the Captain of the Marlboro First Aid Squad. When she found out that I was involved with CPR, she asked me to join the squad. I remained an EMT for 20 years and served 1 year as Captain. I even had the joy of delivering a baby. I later became a phlebotomist working for Central Jersey Blood Center for 10 years until my Parkinson's made it impossible for me to continue. During this time, I had my own therapeutic massage business called "knead a massage". That's spelled KNEAD. I also taught CPR in Centra State. In 1996 I became widowed. I was diagnosed with Parkinson's in January 2000. Parkinson's is caused by a lack of dopamine in the brain. This causes diminishing motor functions. At first, my family was upset. But then we decided that this battle would be fought with us on the offensive. So, through a friend who knew Michael J Fox's wife, we went to his doctor in Boston. Eventually, I got my current doctor who is affiliated with Robert Wood Johnson and whom I see every 3-4 months. Now I exercise frequently at the "Y" or in our clubhouse or at home using my Nintendo Wii which has various virtual interactive activities such as bowling, tennis, golf and jogging. I believe that exercise both physical or mental is a great weapon against any disease or handicap. On August 15, 2000 I met my friend Al, who has given me great support. I wanted Al to know what he was getting into so on our second date I said "I want you to know I have Parkinson's Disease". Al has a great sense of humor, without hesitation he answered, "so, is it contagious?" We have been together ever since. I have taken trips to various countries around the world. I drive. I do all the things I possibly can. I try not to deny myself anything. My daughter has formed a group called "Parkinsons and Daughters" which last year raised over $30,000 and over the past 5 years has raised over $130,000. Each spring we take a 2 mile walk through central park to raise both money and awareness for Parkionson's. We never stop doing the things we want to do. We visit friends and family in different parts of the country and participate in different activities with friends. Basically, what we want to do, we do. I live a normal life. There are many symptoms of Parkinson's, tremors, swallowing problems, loss of balance and many others. I believe the scientists will come up with a cure for this disease which affects the brain and when they do, many other cerebral affections will be cured as well. I may have Parkinson's but Parkinson's does not have me. Thank you.