Page created by: The Lindsey Clan

Elizabeth Lindsey was my grandmother. She was very involved in the Church and Girl Scouts. She taught choir and was a Girl Scout Leader for years. As a kid, we would go on walks and she would tell me about the different trees/flowers and birds. Something I wish I had paid attention to. I used to spend the night frequently and I helped her can fruit, make jams and do the chickens.

I was a teenager when I first noticed her first symptom, which was a slight tremor in her hand. The family all told her she needed to be seen by the doctor, but she chose to wait. I don't remember how old she was when she got the diagnosis, however I believe she was in her 60's.

The doctor gave her levodopa and because she was not a medicine taker, found that taking it as ordered made her feel awful. So, needless to say she took it when she felt she really needed it. That method worked for her for years.

Her and my grandfather eventually moved in to an apartment at a local nursing facility and did well considering their physical limitations. After requesting help from the facility staff to get out of the tub one to many times, they moved my grandparents into the nursing home.

There, they gave her the levodopa as prescribed and it made her hallucinate. In an attempt to calm the hallucinations they gave her haldol. (angered me as a nurse knowing it was contraindicated) After that, she could not walk anymore. She held firmly to her faith and never blamed anyone for her physical ails.

Luckily, (as if dying of anything is lucky) she died of congestive heart failure instead of the Parkinsons getting her.

I miss this great woman dearly. I wish there had been better treatments when she was alive. Now, I wish for not only that but a cure as well, because as genetics would have it, I to have the disease.