Kirk Hall

In March we spoke at a Parkinson’s conference in Colorado where we met several fascinating people. One of the most interesting was Kirk Hall. Kirk is a man who has refused to let Parkinson's, and now MCI, stop him from enjoying life and continuing to be productive.  He is also the author of two children’s books about Parkinson’s, both of which are listed in our website’s book store, The LBD Book Corner. He just sent us a new book release for his latest book, Window of Opportunity. In this book, Kirk offers all of us an insider’s view of how it feels to get such a life changing diagnosis as MCI and continue to live a fulfilling life. His books, first for children and now for adults, are examples of this. Another is his participation in a webinar sponsored by the LBDA in June. Kirk has asked that we post information about the book and the webinar and we are honored to oblige.

Dementia Webinar

A webinar to be hosted by the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LB DA) is planned for Wednesday, June 4, 2014 at 2 pm Eastern on Webex. The goal of the webinar is to give Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, Parkinson's patients (PWPs) and their caregivers the opportunity to hear from Alexander Dreier, who has been diagnosed with LBD, and his wife, Olivia, about what is like for them and how they deal with this diagnosis. Kirk and Linda Hall will also participate as representatives of the "PD world" and share how they are dealing with Kirk’s mild cognitive impairment (MCI) diagnosis, as MCI is often a precursor to Lewy body dementia (LBD), the most common form of Parkinson’s dementia. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

Registration and access information for this webinar will be available on the LBDA website  in May.

NEW BOOK RELEASE

Window of Opportunity is the story of one person’s journey through the initial signs of cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson’s disease and the uncertainty of a future that includes a significant probability of dementia. Kirk Hall, only 58 at the time he began noticing small signs of mild cognitive impairment, tells his story with directness, candor, sensitivity and humor. He describes the long and challenging visits to doctors seeking answers to his disturbing symptoms and the confusion caused by conflicting opinions about the nature and progression of his disease. His journal notes allow him to describe in vivid detail his slowly coming to grips with disability and the increasing lifestyle changes required to offset progressive cognitive difficulties. He shares the internal struggle, anxiety and stress that uncertainty causes, not only for himself but for his family as well.

The book is a tribute to someone who is able to maintain a positive orientation despite the threat of something as devastatingly frightening as dementia. It is also a journey of discovery as Kirk transitions into the healing aspects of giving back to the Parkinson’s community through helping others and sharing his story. Indeed the reader will take away important insights into the importance of keeping a patient journal, patient self-advocacy, and shared decision-making. And, perhaps most powerful of all, are the insights into how dealing with the potential for a terminal diagnosis can turn into a “window of opportunity” to contribute in a meaningful way to the body of knowledge about a disease and to help others on a similar path.

To order: Find the paperback and Kindle versions of this book in The LBD Book Corner. You can also order the paperback from Pygmy Books, page 2 and the ebook (all formats) from Smashwords.