One of my treasured PD friends recently walked into the new PD Center and her reaction was one I will never forget.  She was in awe of how warm and welcoming it felt and her face lit up with a huge smile and twinkling eyes.  She and her daughter continued to look around in amazement and walked toward me to share their excitement.  This special woman is 90 years old and a wise soul.  She looked at me with happy, but serious eyes and said, “Michelle, you have been dreaming of this for a long time, haven’t you?”  Her sincerity and tone made tears well up and my words stuck in my throat. 

My reaction was unexpected but so real.  I just then realized that my dream had come true.  Since my diagnosis 12 years ago, I have wanted to build a place where people like myself that have been struck with this disease could go and feel safe, welcome, happy, relaxed, needed and hopeful.  Ann, my 90-year-old friend, must have seen a story in my eyes that provoked her to say that to me.  She was right.  The PD Center of CT has been a vision of mine for a long time.  I am proud to say, it has turned out to be exactly as I imagined.

With the help of CAP and many friends and family, I am honored to be a part of this wonderful facility that will help many people with PD (PWP) and their families through the journey of living with Parkinson’s Disease.  Through many trials and tribulations, both CAP and Beat PD Today have accomplished their goal.  There are still have many more goals to achieve in providing services at the Center, but we know that it can and will happen now.  I always have believed that you never give up, because, where there is a will, there is a way.  I look forward to many years ahead of meeting special people visiting and joining our community at the Center while we also continue to search for the cure to end this disease.  When that happens, I will be happy to keep the center alive with the positive energy of people cured of Parkinson’s. 

Hey, maybe now my next dream will be to build a place for people to gather that are PCP’s (People Cured of Parkinson’s)!  LOL

“Live your dreams, don’t dream your life.”

Michelle Hespeler