“It is a beautiful thing when a career and a passion come together.” ~unknown

It is always nice when things work out serendipitously. What can be better than combining one’s own passions?  I tell you there is a great joy when your passions and interest and mesh together as it did this past week for me.

I was forced to be on a strict diet for the last 3 weeks in preparation for this past weeks poking and prodding in order to rule out any underlying recurrent cancer. Not being able to eat seafood, nuts, pasta, bread, or  dairy products was a challenge. Particularly when my to go snack is a handful of nuts. Plus, having teenagers around who are constantly foraging and gravitate top these same food groups did not make it any easier. I must admit it was hard and had to sneak in a couple of bites here and there of bread. Mom making fresh flour tortillas for breakfast did not help in the least.

So of course when my tests were done despite having severe nausea and feeling weak, I headed straight to an Italian restaurant to indulge in some lentil soup, and chicken sandwich loaded with mozzarella cheese, only after taking Zofran.

I was so extremely overjoyed to enjoy food once again that although the nausea seemed to have returned after eating, I could not pass the opportunity of visiting one of my favorite clothing stores-TALBOTS- love their red doors! Especially since there is none close to home. Plus,  I was sad I would have to miss yet again another great customer “party.” To my surprise, they were in the midst of hosting a fashion show. Of course this delighted me completely and quickly found a spot to sit. Initially, the nausea, heat and hot flashes from the small radiation doses I had received were extremely distracting. But as my husband always says “where there is a ‘Bebe’ (one of my many nicknames) there is a way.”  Surely I was not going to miss this fashion show and special prices event which I had stumbled into fortuitously just because I had some side effects to the treatment and was stiffer than usual.  So for a while I simply sat there quietly enjoying the ambience wishing I could feel better so I would not be sick in the middle of the floor. I stood once again and made my way to the table of delectable goodies to grab some cold water to take more pills when one of the attendants asked me how I was liking show. Trying to be polite and making small conversation so I could return to my seat, I asked how the models were chosen? she then proceeded to ask me if I would be interested in modeling for them at their next event.

Seems like suddenly I was experiencing another ‘Kamehameha’ moment all over. When we were in Hawaii over spring break while doing our usual touring, I began to experience severe discomfort which escalated to more intense pain in my back as we were walking. but suddenly upon reaching the site where King Kamehameha statue is located in Honolulu  because it is the headquarters for the T.V. show Hawaii- five- o, I became so enthralled that my pain and all discomfort dissipated completely- forever known in my family as the ‘Kamehameha effect.‘

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Having regained some energy, when the national sales manager Pam approached me about what I liked about their products and fall line, I seized the opportunity to discuss possible partnership to do Parkinson’s awareness just like they do breast cancer awareness. After discussing my role in advocacy, my platform on women’s issues in PD and explaining my love for fashion and need for women with PD to feel empowered over their disease, she was completely on board. although, they could not endorse PD as they do breast cancer awareness, she was willing to take back to headquarters and in meantime offered to partner in the winter for a charitable event with their red winter wardrobe line which could involve several stores in the Houston area. Although, nothing is set in stone as of yet, the possibility of this is taking place is terribly exciting, more importantly the seed was planted. Like all fruit trees  even though they must be watered and cared for, a fertile soil is essential for it to take root and grow. Lets hope this new idea takes and leads to greater awareness in women (gender) issues within the Parkinson’s community.

Furthermore, I was ecstatic about the possibility that I mentioned it to a good friend of mine who happens to be a drug rep for Azilect and she took was excited by this that she said she would talk to her superiors.

After spending a week in my old stomping ground (Houston Medical Center ) and seeing patient after patient with PD many of whom were young women- the time to take action is now and what better way to bring women of diverse backgrounds together and inform on PD then through a fashion show. After all, as one of the world’s best fashion designers who happens to be a Hispanic woman like myself  – Carolina Herrera, once quipped : “the impossible does not truly exist for (a PD) woman only time to achieve it.”

Together we are strong

Together we can #end PD

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all rights reserved – Maria De Leon MD