The Story

Kids dream of being a fireman or a race car driver, but my early goal was to be an explorer. My father took me to a pub called the South Pole which was owned by Tom Crean, a veteran of polar exploration at the turn of the last century. Looking at the worn-out memorabilia displayed in that shabby pub in County Kerry, I resolved to one day make a trip to the Pole.

As a teenager, I had more conventional ambitions, be an Olympian, a World Champion and break a four-minute mile. My father finished school early so an education was paramount. I checked that box a few times. There were business objectives too. I worked for 14 years in the wireless industry and became a senior executive for a Fortune 500 Company.

Suddenly, that familiar, comfortable world was turned upside down. The biggest telecom company bought us, and the very next day the first symptom of a mystery disease made an appearance. I was in severe denial and pursued a two-year treatment for Lyme’s Disease. Eventually I accepted the reality that at 48 years of age I had Early Onset Parkinson’s Disease. I relied on trusted associates and various ruses and schemes until I could no longer hide the symptoms.

Contrary to the typical progression of Early Onset Parkinson’s, my condition deteriorated much quicker than expected. I could hardly walk, could barely talk, experienced extreme restlessness, suffered from debilitating cramping and full-body tremors. I was in pitiful condition and relied heavily on my wife, family, and friends to survive.

Brain surgery called Deep Brain Stimulation provided relief. Tiny holes were drilled through my skull and deep into my brain. Electrodes were implanted and attached to a pulse generator in my chest. This allowed voltage to constantly run to my brain which serves to dampen the faulty signaling that causes Parkinson’s.

It took two years, but my condition improved sufficiently to make a trip to the Antarctic. I joined a National Geographic voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina, made the two-day crossing of the Drake Passage and was at Elephant Island on the 100th Anniversary of Ernest Shackleton’s death. I even managed to complete two extreme hikes on the continent.

I still struggle with acceptance. Fortunately, I have many previous athletics and business experiences to bolster me, the most impactful of which are recounted in this memoir. I am determined to play the cards that I am dealt and not a hand I may later have to play. I will bend but not break.