When I was a little girl, me and my dad were inseparable. Since my mom worked during the day dad would stay home with me, playing the role of “Mister Mom” so to speak. We did everything together from going to the grocery store to dragging me along when he got a call to paint someone’s home. I thought of my dad as being in the same rank of superman, nothing could ever get to him.

That was until I got into middle school, when that little girl was growing up, and becoming observant of things. It started with him casually walking, but not always completely picking his feet up. Then, to add onto troubles walking, his speech became more and more slurred all in a year’s time. He was stubborn about it, as most men are, but he finally agreed to pay a visit to a neurologist. After testing and evaluation, it was evident to his doctor that what was going on with my dad was serious.

I was in eighth  grade when my parents broke the news to me that what my dad had was Parkinson’s Disease. I was old enough to comprehend it, but too in shock to fathom the long term effects. MY dad? Superman? The amount of change my Father has endured due to this disease is a lot. Between changes in his motor , social , and physical skills it’s been literally a hard pill for him to swallow. But this blog isn’t about me throwing a viral sympathy party. It’s about raising awareness of teens who have parents or loved ones with diseases/ medical issues in general. People can get hesitant to talk about it.  It seems as if you talk about it too much you want attention. Speak very little of it and it’s like you don’t care. Whether a disease is extremely impactful or not it affects a person. It’s all about what you make of it. I want to make this blog to tell how my home life has truly changed, how I cope, and hopefully give others something relatable to latch onto.