Blessings within her journey
January 2024 Good News
When Thora Rogers was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2002, she did not yet know the blessings that this new turn in life would bring. She took it as the encouragement she needed to find her birth family. Thora had been adopted at birth and raised in a warm family that made her feel “chosen and loved”, so the thought of searching for her biological roots had never crossed her mind.
“Born in the 50’s, given away, not without love – a blessing to this day; started with a young mother frightened and alone – gave me life out of love… by letting me go.”
Thora with some of her birth family
After her diagnosis, however, she wanted to know if PD ran in her family history. She finally went on her search in 2011, with the support and blessings from her loved ones. Thora now considers her diagnosis a blessing too, since it led her to finding her birth family. “If I didn’t get Parkinson’s, I may never have taken the chance and would never have found four sisters. That would be even worse than having Parkinson’s,” she says.
“I’m doin’ it all again, how lucky is that, once an only child, now seven got my back.
My life was brighter since they came along, my family was growing…I felt strong!”
Thora and her husband, Mike
Thora has dealt with her physical challenges with the help of her caring husband, Mike. Married in 1988, the couple have learned plenty over the years as they’ve adapted to Thora’s evolving mobility issues together. She emphasizes how necessary it was for them to handle the challenges as a team, saying, “I have no idea how I would have dealt with it if I didn’t have such a loving and supportive husband who was obviously in it for the long haul.”
In addition to Mike’s support, Thora has maintained her resilience and mental health because of her deep love of music, which has been a powerful source of healing for her. She has been devoted to her hobby for much of her life and says her strong will to continue singing drives her to keep going. “I could be shaking all over uncontrollably and as soon as I started singing, my whole body would calm down and once again, I would come alive.”
Thora singing
Thora reflects on how she has found acceptance in herself by looking for the humorous side of things to feel relief. For those who are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s, she offers, “Everyone’s journey is going to be different. All I can suggest is adding a little humour and trying to accept yourself in your new body.”
A few months ago, she felt that her voice was showing signs of softness, and so she embraced a new treatment called Duodopa®, which is a levodopa and carbidopa drug combination delivered in the form of a gel through an intestinal pump. She recalls how the treatment vastly improved her mobility and allowed her to walk with a walker when she had previously used a wheelchair.
When her sister asked her about the switch from her previous unpredictable highs and lows to a steady state after receiving Duodopa®, Thora described the feeling as a bit “flat.” The extreme nature of her symptoms made the periods of relief all that more joyful. Although her condition has improved and the peaks and valleys have leveled out, she sometimes misses the intensity of joy in those fleeting reprieves. However, when asked if she would ever go back to how things were, Thora says absolutely not. “Every tiny little joy is still more joyful,” she says. “I am sure there will be more changes to deal with and more mountains to climb, but where there is new treatment, there is always hope!”
Click here to listen to a song by Thora.