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Poem by Peter van den Berg: Birthday on World Parkinsonday

Tomorrow is my birthday

It is then ‘my’ World Parkinson Day

An unforgettable day for over seven years

Tomorrow is my birthday

Parkinson’s, it makes our lives special

Boxing, walking, physical fitness, what a drudgery

We quickly have enough of stress, tremors and freezing

A poem about World Parkinson’s Day, this is the beginning,

Many a Young Parkinson’s patient thinks about career and family

Parkinson’s, it makes our lives special

Parkinson’s, shall I first introduce myself?

I miss a lot of dopamine

The accompaniment between thinking and doing

Missing that makes us green

We like to give that slowness to cotton

Parkinson’s, what else can I tell you about it?

Parkinson’s, what consequences, isn’t it?

Parkinson’s is progressive

That often makes our lives less positive

Regularly one pill more

That hurts quite a bit

Parkinson’s, what consequences, yes

Parkinson’s, if only I could park it

Parkinson’s, how tired I am sometimes

Then I have big plans, but I don’t know how

Then I want more things at the same time

But the disease is then too influential

Parkinson’s, if only I could park it

It’s our birthday tomorrow

What a special bond we have

What binds us is not only the trembling hand

But the invisible consequences

They are the ones that haunt us the most

It’s our birthday tomorrow

Parkinson’s, you have to learn to live with it

Much has been said about how to deal with this

Just open and honest, it doesn’t hurt!

Accept, said the psychologist, but he found no response

Thinking about relaxation and tranquility is common at Suite in Moordrecht

Parkinson’s, you have to learn to live with it

Parkinson’s, a new calling in my life

A day out and good conversation with nephew and niece

Lecture halls open for guest lectures

And so there are more nice contacts and I keep hoping

Because there is also light at dark times

Parkinson’s, a new calling in my life

Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life

Of course, I can think a lot about life back then

About what I could not do and what I could do

But with all those changes in life and behavior

Can I still live with a tear and a smile

Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life

Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life

Whoever writes stays

Helping others is what drives me

I can’t get enough of writing books, articles and blogs

Although it is sometimes a lot of hassle and toil

Parkinson’s, it has enriched my life

Parkinson’s, what a lot of new friends I have

Parkinson’s, young, male or female, it doesn’t matter

Doers, thinkers, we are all in the same boat

It is a disease that binds us

And that actually makes us positive

Parkinson’s, what many friends we have

Parkinson’s, what did I forget to tell you?

That it can sometimes cause me a lot of inconveniences

That there are challenges every morning

That it has enriched my life!

That shared sorrow means that you do not succumb

Parkinson’s, I think I can tell a lot more

Parkinsonday, we’re gonna celebrate our birthday,

Unfortunately, the disease manifests itself in various ways

Sometimes it hides for a while

But in the end it determines itself what it wants

For example, under stress, the tension passes through our muscles

Parkinsonday, is that how we are going to celebrate birthday?

Parkinson’s, what a life

Loss of balance, freezing, we start walking uncertainly

I would never have dared to think about a walk with a Rollz

That such a tool would give me a greater range

And there are more aids that we are going to buy

Parkinson’s, what a life

Parkinson’s, what more do I need to say?

Promise and yet forget, it happened in no time

It brings us new challenges, so don’t worry

Forgotten something now and then?

Just pretend you didn’t know

Parkinson’s, what more do I need to say

World Parks Sunday

A day with a tear and a smile

Would we miss Parkinson’s?

Then we would miss many contacts

The nice things after a bad day

Tomorrow is my birthday

Peter van den Berg (1974) was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at the age of 39. He was previously a municipal lawyer and politically active for many years in the municipal council and Provincial Council. Van den Berg is co-editor of the collections ‘A new challenge with Parkinson’s’ (2019) and ‘Living better with a chronic-progressive disease’ (2020)

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