The Invisible Companion

When Markus Rodriguez—a man of inexhaustible, manic, palpable energy—was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he, his wife, and children thought their world had come to an end. They had no idea of the meaning of the disease or what it entailed, and as a matter of fact, they had never heard of such an illness. After all, before they traveled from Nassau, Bahamas, to the Brain Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, for a second opinion, Markus was told that his condition had everything to do with the fact that he was aging. He was sixty-seven years old at the time. He owed his peace of mind in dealing with the condition to his fervent belief in God to help him deal with the progression and severity of the illness, his wife for her constant support, and his children. His family was the driving force in his acceptance of this debilitating condition. Nevertheless, he questioned God on several occasions, but at the end of each encounter with God, he was gently reminded of prophets and Bible persons who were sorely challenged and that he was not better than them. After several months, he stopped questioning why him and began to ask why not him. He was a successful businessman, he enjoyed everything he dealt with, and he was very generous to his fellowmen. He feared the eventuality that he would increasingly become dependent on his wife and children and not being able to continue with his business ventures. The ultimate challenges he faced, he turned them into opportunities and found himself advocating for a disease he so despised. He told everyone he knew everything he found out about the condition.