3 minute read
One day in Amsterdam - a story about Jazz, Parkinson's and Friends.
An interview with Rene van Helsdingen (jazzpianist) and Mark Edward Fuller (writer) living both with Parkinson's.
Mark: "One day, I ran into Rene at the Locals cafe in Amsterdam. My daughter said, Dad, there's a man in the café and I think he also has Parkinson's."
So, Mark went back into the café and struck up a conversation with Rene. Since then, they've become good friends. Mark is a huge jazz enthusiast and enjoys all kinds of music. And dancing comes along with music as well.
For 45 years, jazzpianist Rene van Helsdingen has been traveling around the world.
From a young age, Rene was engaged with music, particularly improvisation. His mother was a classical pianist and sent Rene to piano lessons when he was just 5 years old.
"After the diagnosis, not much has changed. I adapt automatically, also due to the fact that I am an improvisational musician."
"However, I do notice the progression of the disease and the limitations it brings, leading to the adjustments and compromises I have to make. The joy you experience as an artist persists, and the human instinct to survive in general becomes evident."
Beautiful music is a therapy for people with Parkinson's.
Rene: "I believe that concerts featuring beautiful music are a beneficial therapy for patients and for the general audience. As an improvisational musician, I expose myself and express my emotions. Live music is powerful, and I think that if fellow Parkinson's patients, especially, have the opportunity to see me play, it instills hope for the future. There needs to be more research, and everything will turn out fine. If I can do it, you can do it too!"
Mark: "The first year, I was completely lost. I was devastated. I used to be very active in sports and took pride in my body. Initially, I struggled a lot with how to move forward. The whole family was in shock. It was quite scary because we didn't know what the future held. This led to some depression in the beginning. But the clown within me has risen again."
When you're negative, you receive little response, but when you radiate positivity, the world opens up for you. "Through my positivity, I've achieved a lot." "Of course, there are moments when I feel down, but you have to keep fighting against it. And that's when it's great to have such good friends around you like Rene."
Try to create something beautiful around you. And set goals for yourself. I still have a lot of goals for myself. Without goals, you can't fully enjoy life. You hear people around you saying that your life is over now. That's not true at all! In fact, you can still achieve a lot. And it does so much for you when things really work out. Stay positive, keep your eyes open for the beautiful things in life. Be realistic." Mark: "I'm an ntellectual clown. If you haven't laughed in a day, you haven't lived a day' is my motto."
Read the whole story on issuu.com/genietvanhetleven.
English version: Online magazine enjoy life with parkinsons no. 1
Dutch version: Online magazine Geniet van het leven - editie 2 - 15 december 2022 - kersteditie.
