What am I worth if I have Parkinson's?

From time to time we all tend to take inventory of our lives, a self-audit of ourselves to somehow try to determine what our worth is. We all have different perspectives on what is valuable; for some a big house, lots of money, and the best toys give a sense of worth. Being famous and adored by strangers gives celebrities a feeling of importance and accomplishment. Some athletes at the top of their game validate who they are by how well they play their sport and are rewarded with big contracts that tell them you are worth that much to our team. Perspective is all it really is. Your view of things and how it makes you feel. Now there is nothing wrong with being famous or rich. There are a lot of very grounded rich and famous people who keep the trappings of wealth in proper perspective. There is a great equalizer in life that for the most part brings everyone to the same level. If you are rich and you are sick, you are sick. If you are famous and sick, you are sick. If you have a gold medal and are sick, you are sick.

Being sick can devalue everything you have in an instant and it also increases the value of other things in that same instant. Your perspective of what is valuable is now totally different. The expensive car you drive is a nice way to get to all of your doctors appointments. The big house you live in offers a great place to be sick in. And all your fans now write you "hope you get well soon" letters and not loved your last movie, CD or congratulations on winning the big game. Now that the stuff you have acquired, all the pretty things that surround you that once shined have dulled, and things you had not noticed before, now shine brighter, you find out what you truly have.

The saying goes, "if you have your health, you have everything." I do not believe that. If you are loved and you know that you are, then you have everything. The love of your spouse, children, family and friends and the support that they give you when you are in need is how you know your true worth. To be healthy and unloved, to have possessions and no one who cares about you is having nothing at all. It would be easy to think that because I have Parkinson's my self worth would be low. After all a "currently" incurable disease can make a person feel a little devalued. Personally, I have never felt more valued than I do now because of the love and support of my wife, children, family and friends. I am one of the richest men on the planet because I am loved, I have a cause, a purpose in my life -- to see this disease beaten -- so my stock has never been higher. I choose not to sit back, but to join the fight so I have never felt more important.

We may be challenged because of Parkinson's, but we still matter. How we choose to take on this adversity as individuals will reveal our true worth. Rise up, do not shrink. In everything you do, chose to live your life richly by doing for others, invest in kindness, count your friends, not your dollars. In the end if you are remembered for your house, your cars and money and not the people who loved you and how you made the world a better place, you will have left this life a pauper.

I'm Pat Younts and I Move to Live.