Parkinson’s Disease: loving and losing my dad. An interview with Jason Berns.
/
Jason and Don Berns
How do you support families living under the shadow of a long-term illness? Parkinson’s disease is relentless and degenerative. There is no cure. Jason Berns remembers his dad, Don. Don was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 33; Jason was just 8 years old. Jason reflects on the challenges of living in the shadow of Parkinson’s, the importance of honesty and community, and the power of hope.
You can find the Handle with Care podcast on Google Play, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. You can also listen here:
Don, Jason, and Joy Berns
A few take-aways emerge after my conversation with Jason.
Community was essential for Jason and his family. In his words, “We are not called to do life on our own.” The Berns family benefitted from meals deliveries, from men that stepped in to coach basketball teams, and from friends that have been with them to share joy and sorrow over the years. If you are a friend or a coworker with someone that is a caregiver, don’t shrink back. Consider the ways that you can come alongside them with friendship and meaningful gestures? If you are a caregiver, what support groups are available in your area for both you and for the person you are caring for? Find people that will pour into you.
At your company, it is alright for people to step back from work as a result of life circumstances? Jason talked about his supportive principals and the way that he now manages his own real estate business. Jason seeks to model his values of God, family, business and encourages his employees to do likewise. What values are explicitly or implicitly being modeled in your organization?
Faith and hope can be a tremendously important part of what helps men and women survive and thrive in the aftermath disruption. Even in the midst of a relentless disease, Uncle Don maintained this remarkable grit and hopefulness that transcended personality. He believed that his failing body was not the final reality, he believed that there was more. If you are in the midst of a darkness that seems overwhelming, may a glint of hope find and surprise you today.
Karen, Joy, Don, and Jason Berns
Jason and Laura Berns and their three daughters: Charlotte Caneel, Alexandra Adele, and Elizabeth Dawn