Page created by: Hatzikostantis Family

I lost my mom on Sunday, April 20, 2014 Easter morning. My mom migrated from Odessa (Former Soviet Union) to Thessaloniki, Greece and then to the United States in 1963. My mother worked in New York City and that's where she met my father. Both of my parents were hardworking individuals who came to this country with a dream of working hard and raising a family. When they married in New York they decided to move to Connecticut to raise a family. They finally settled in Glastonbury, Connecticut. During those years my parents were able to buy a home, truly felt they lived the American Dream, which they did. Both my parents valued hard work and education and instilled those values into their children. Then one day, we suddenly lost our dad in February of 2001. My mom was devastated and never truly recovered. Shortly after the loss of her husband she started having difficulty with even the simplest tasks such as buttoning her shirt or making lunch. For three years we went to various doctor's to determine what exactly was my mom suffering from. The explanations we were given was that she was depressed, especially since her and my father were so close and the loss was traumatic. Finally, after my mom was still insisting that something else was wrong I made an appointment for her with a psychiatrist. After a few visits with the psychiatrist, the psychiatrist felt that my mom exhibited the symptoms of Parkinson's and referred her to a neurologist. The next eight years my mom faced her Parkinson's with grace and never complained even when the Parkinson's started affecting other bodily functions such as walking or even going to the bathroom which was a difficult task, but she would always persevere to the best of her ability. My mom was always my best friend but now she's my hero. I hope, that if I am to face challenges in my life that I will do so with grace and strength just like my mom.