My name is Naomi Friedland. I was first diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in the Fall of 1985. I elected to have STN Deep Brain Stimulation on November 11, 1998.

My decision to undergo this 10 hour operation was a very difficult one. I agonized over it for a long time. I finally decided to go ahead with the operation because of the poor quality of my life. I was at my "wits end". That's the operative phrase, "wits end".

At the time, I was taking 16 pills a day - 4 Sinemet (blue) 10/100, 4 Sinemet CR (pink) 25/100, 4 Tasmar and 4 Mirapex. I began taking Sinemet at the start of the 7th year of my illness. Until then I was existing on 2 Eldypren tablets per day which seemed to slow the progression of the disease. The Sinemet was effective for the first four years and then began to cause terrible dyskinesias.

For the last 2-3 years 50% of the time I was shaking from the main symptoms of my illness which were tremors of both hands and arms and my right leg and foot and 50% of the time I was jumpy, nervous and off the walls with dyskinesias.

The operation, thank goodness, was a big success. Today I take only 4 pills daily (Sinemet blue 10/100) I'm beautiful, talented, charming, intelligent, witty and....humble! Seriously, it quite simply made me whole again and enabled me to do all the everyday things we take for granted to live an active, healthy life (e.g. brushing your teeth, combing your hair, writing checks at the end of the month, holding a fork without the grains of rice falling all over the place, drinking water from a glass without having it go cascading down the front of your shirt instead of down your throat. My life is very different now. Life is beautiful!

When I first approached Dr. Beric with my idea of a support group for those who had deep brain surgery and those who are contemplating it, we never dreamed so many people would attend our meeting. This support group is designed to help patients and their caregivers keep up-to-date on the latest information on Parkinson's disease and to provide a better understanding of how to manage their lives. Let us join hands and begin to offer support, understanding and friendship to one another on how to find ways to cope with the challenges of living with Parkinson's and other dreaded diseases of this kind.