hot off the press…

Well…here it is guys. I’m in a magazine. Actually…”hot” off the press is not exactly true. The magazine came back from the print company and was published last week. It published the day after my dad’s heart procedure…the day he went into isolation. I didn’t feel it was the right time to share this kind of news with anyone then. I’m not confident that today is really the right time either. But…I sent it to my mom late last night and she told me “You should have shared it then. Don’t ever feel that you shouldn’t share some joy. We are so proud of you.” So…with my mom’s blessing and encouragement…here it is.

health monitor…

As I mentioned when I first shared about this opportunity, it’s a small market, an exclusive niche…but my market and my niche these days. Health Monitor Network is a publishing company out of New Jersey. Their mission is “to facilitate dialogue between patients and their healthcare professionals” and they have been doing just that for 35 years. The medical guides and brochures you see in your physician’s waiting room, the educational posters and flip charts in the exam rooms…those are Health Monitor Network.

behind the story…

When the editor first contacted me for the interview and then the art department reached out to book the photo shoot, things were “normal”. Spring was working ever so diligently to bloom into summer, the kids were all in school, and my dad was healthy. Nine days ago, when the magazine published, things had changed. Summer had arrived, the kids were reveling in their much-anticipated three-month break, and my dad was sick. My dad’s illness and hospital stay intersecting with the publish date of my story are…in my mind…no coincidence. During his days in the hospital, I came across many of these magazines, guides, and brochures. Just as, I’m sure, many family members before me had done …I picked up those magazines and I busied my mind with what looked something like reading. What I started to realize as I thumbed somewhat mindlessly through some of these magazines…knowing that my story was at that moment being delivered to physician’s offices across the United States…was that every story, every person in those stories had a backstory and a family that loved them dearly. Now that I was one of those stories, I looked at every magazine and every guide with a different set of eyes…with a deeper understanding. These people that the editors choose to write about are not just characters in a “canned” piece of journalism with a pretty “stock” photo. They are someone and their words mean something. They are trying to make their disease or illness mean something. They are trying to make a difference.

I don’t know if this makes any kind of sense to anyone reading this…and it’s okay if it doesn’t…but, I guess what I’m trying to share is this. Did I ever think I’d be in a magazine? Heck, no. If there was even the slightest possibility of being in a magazine, did I ever fathom that it might be a “Guide to Living With Parkinson’s Disease”? At age 46? Heck, no. But here it is and here I am. So, the next time you pick up one of those medical magazines, guides, or brochures to pass the time or to keep your mind busy…look a little deeper, with a different set of eyes. Someday…it could be you or your loved one sharing their journey with the world. Hopefully not in a Parkinson’s Guide…but, hey…it is what it is. And…THIS IS ME!

photo shoot fun…

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