{"id":41821,"date":"2013-01-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-18T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2013\/01\/18\/timeout-with-t-o-the-living-hell-of-parkinsons\/"},"modified":"2022-09-02T20:10:56","modified_gmt":"2022-09-03T01:10:56","slug":"timeout-with-t-o-the-living-hell-of-parkinsons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2013\/01\/18\/timeout-with-t-o-the-living-hell-of-parkinsons\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeout with T.O. – The living hell of Parkinson’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was at the 2012 UNMC Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s when I ran into my old friend Terry Tonkin.<\/p>\n

Back in the 1980s, Terry and I worked together at Mutual of Omaha. As nice a guy as you’ll ever meet. <\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n

\n\"picture
\n<\/TD>
\n<\/TR>
\n

\nTerry Tonkin with his wife, Judy.<\/span>
\n<\/TD>
\n<\/TR>
\n<\/TABLE>Terry’s life changed dramatically in 2000 when he developed Parkinson’s. He came to the Skate-a-thon to drop off a check to show his support.<\/p>\n

As we talked, Terry’s arms shook constantly. It was agonizing to watch him write his check. <\/p>\n

A living hell<\/B><\/p>\n

Life with Parkinson’s is hell. It will wear you out. Tonkin takes morning and afternoon naps. But, at night, it gets tricky.<\/p>\n

“I’ll go to the bathroom,” said Tonkin, 70. “When I get back in bed, the Parkinson’s kicks in. I fight it for awhile, but lots of time I’ll go out and sit in the recliner.”<\/p>\n

His wife, Judy, says the whole bed shakes when Terry has one of his episodes.<\/p>\n

A sweet gig<\/B><\/p>\n

Since 1996, Tonkin has worked at Baxter Chrysler Plymouth, driving the courtesy van and delivering new vehicles to customers around the country. <\/p>\n

“I’ve driven vehicles to California probably 30-40 times,” he said. “I loved it.”<\/p>\n

Many times Judy would ride along with him, and they’d turn it into a mini-vacation. <\/p>\n

No more long drives<\/B><\/p>\n

As his Parkinson’s got worse, Terry finally had to stop his cross country drives. He now coordinates the schedules for other drivers at several Baxter dealerships. <\/p>\n

A state champion tennis player in high school, Tonkin’s athletic endeavors now are confined to rooting on his alma mater, the Creighton Bluejays, and his beloved Detroit Tigers.<\/p>\n

UNMC help<\/B><\/p>\n

In 2004, Tonkin started seeing UNMC neurologist Dan Murman, M.D. Both are natives of Hastings, Neb., and it’s been a perfect fit.<\/p>\n

On Jan. 24, Tonkin will undergo deep brain stimulation surgery. While Tonkin is conscious, UNMC neurosurgeon Ken Follett, M.D., will drill two holes in the top of his head and connect wires in his brain to a pacemaker-like device near his collarbone.<\/p>\n

“If it is successful, it could level out my trembling and eliminate the peaks and valleys,” Tonkin said. <\/p>\n

Good reception<\/B><\/p>\n

Judy jokes, “I tell him he should have good reception and be able to pull in Creighton basketball games.”<\/p>\n

And, hopefully, a good night’s sleep.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In advance of next week’s Skate-a-thon for Parkinson’s, the author tells of how Parkinson’s has changed the life of an old friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":41820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","topic-community","department-unmc-today-todays-headlines","author_override-reflections-and-observations-by-tom-oconnor-unmc-public-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nTimeout with T.O. - 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