A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Close to midnight on the day after Christmas Day of 2006, we were jolted out of bed hearing the doorbell frantically ringing. I peeped out the window, and saw a dirty gaunt man shivering in the night. I called out to him and he hollered back my name. I rushed downstairs to see who it was. It took me awhile to recognize this homeless-looking man, whose first words were, "Help me, I'm dying...". I was shocked to realize that it was our old friend, Mike Pohjola, who also happens to be the builder of our house. Bill and he had a falling out about five years ago and we had no knowledge of his whereabouts and how to contact him. The last time we saw him, he was starting to have the early signs of Parkinson's disease. Now, here we were opening the gate to allow him to come in. He could not walk straight and stop shaking. The disease obviously was already in its late stages. His appearance matched his current living conditions, since he apparently had recently come back to L.A. and was living out on the streets.
Since he is our friend and being that it was the Yuletide Season, we welcomed him to our home and let him stay with us. We went through the process of buying him new clothes and footwear, treating him to spa treatments, etc., to at least get him cleaned up and to resemble his old self. As the days passed, we grew more exhausted than the day before. It was evident that we were not capable of taking care of him. He needed 24/7 assisted living and professional attention. For the next months we assisted him in his medical/financial affairs and getting him placed in a nursing facility. We try our best to spend most of our free time visiting him. With this experience, I tip my hat off to all doctors, nurses, and care-givers for what they do on a daily basis. I certainly could not take their place. I feel so helpless seeing a friend at this state and not being able to do more. I wish there was a cure. Today, we are at the UCLA hospital, where the doctors will be performing a pallidotomy. I hope it helps in alleviating his pain. I remain hopeful...