Where we’re going, we don’t need dopamine…?

It’s hard for me to remember a lot of my childhood. Whether that comes from Parkinson’s (PD) or just a bad memory, I’m not quite sure. I have certain memories that do stick out though, and one of them was seeing Back to the Future in theaters for the first time.

I’ve loved movies ever since I was a kid. They were always an escape for me. From my life, from school, from anything that I didn’t want to face. One movie that I instantly fell in love with was Back to the Future (and later on its subsequent sequels). I can still remember sitting in the dark theater, eyes glued to the screen. As my supply of milk chocolate M&M’s and orange soda ran low the movie started to wind down to it’s final scene.

It was this final scene that made me fall in love with Back to the Future and movies in general. I would always remember it, and the tingles and feeling of magic it gave me. It made me believe that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

Marty had just woken up in bed, in 1985. After spending the last week in 1955 trying desperately to repair his future.

He had wandered out to the garage, after a brief but memorable encounter with his “new and improved” family. He was admiring the new pickup truck his parents had bought him when he heard a familiar voice walk up behind him.

Jennifer: “How about a ride, mister?”

Marty: “Jennifer, oh are you a sight for sore eyes. Let me look at you.”

Jennifer: “Marty, you're acting like you haven't seen me in a week.”

Marty: “I haven’t.”

Jennifer: “Are you okay? Is everything alright”

Marty glanced back at his parents standing in the doorway and smiles.

Marty looked back at Jennifer.

Marty: “Everything is great Jen, just great.”

A few seconds later a flash of light interrupted their reunion. The Delorean, carrying the Doc and Einstein, burst into the driveway.

After a few convincing words from the Doc they were ready to get underway.

Marty and Jennifer hopped into the Delorean. And as the Doc configured the time circuits for 2015. Marty looked at the street ahead and then nervously over at Doc…

Marty: “Hey Doc, we better back up. We don’t have enough road to get up to 88.”

Doc: “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads…”

At that point, the Delorean’s wheels turned inward as the car lifted off the ground and flew up into the sky and..the future.

It was precisely at that moment I fell in love with movies, and the magic they could bring into the world and the escape they could provide.

I’ve always admired Marty McFly. For one thing, he has a mad scientist as his best friend (I have something close…more on that later), and another he has an amazing woman in his life that keeps him looking forward to the future (Same for me — again, more on that later).

This will be the first of many posts about my journey with Young-onset Parkinson’s Disease. I was diagnosed about 9 years ago at the age of 33.

It’s taken me a while to write this first post (no not 9 years… haha..) because I honestly didn’t know if what I had to say was worth reading. I eventually came to the conclusion that I wasn’t writing it for you, but for me. Although I do hope you get some benefit from my mistakes and my successes.

Parkinson’s hasn’t written my future yet…My future is whatever I make it, and I intend to make it a good one.