Unifier » March 2002 » Courage and Perseverance

Tony's Life: A Work in Progress

Sometimes it takes an inspirational story to shake us out of our preconceived expectations for ourselves. (— Martha)

I was invited to visit Tony, a man who has been living with Parkinson's disease for sixteen years. I had heard that Tony's house was well worth seeing. My expectations were high, but when I arrived at Tony's house, I was totally blown away. What I found was an asymmetrical structure dominated by a turret and a long wrap-around porch. There were hand made gingerbread railings, hand made patterns of cedar shingles and hand-made over-hangs which protected it from the driving rain. What an extraordinary sight! The level of detail everywhere was unbelievable. The living room had a bay window that featured a 6'x 3' stained glass window. There were hundreds of pieces that had had to be cut and soldered. There was a three panel wooden room screen that was just loaded with details. My God, I asked myself, how can a man with Parkinson's disease, who has been retired for 16 years, afford to pay for a house with this much hand work? It was not long before it came out that Tony had done all of this work himself!

Tony recalled an early event that is indicative of his work philosophy. He had contracted a firm to dig out the foundation. Week after week the back-hoe failed to arrive, so Tony started digging with a pick and shovel. He finished the foundation hole before the back-hoe arrived. The lesson, he said, is to accomplish your goal by not confusing convenience with necessity. He then set and leveled the forms for the foundation footer, poured the concrete, laid the block walls and erected the framing. Some of the new framing put a roof over much of the old house. This protected him from the weather as he demolished and rebuilt portions of the original house. The previous sentences take seconds to read but years to accomplish. Tony has been working on the house for over ten years; some years full-time, some part-time. He was fortunate enough to be able to retire early and makes his own schedule. Tony designed and made the windows and mills his own molding. Inside, there is the start of parquet flooring with inlays of exotic hardwoods, like rosewood. In the kitchen, the cooktop is set in an island that he constructed. The surfaces for the island and counters were fabricated from mahogany planks that were salvaged from a bank being renovated in Cambridge. Absolutely nothing was wasted.

He is currently trying to finish those annoying framing details that get ignored until the end, then it's roughing in the utilities and insulation. The original part of the house started out as a 1000 sq. ft. Cape Cod cottage. The final structure will triple the living area. Tony is now giving some thought to handicapped access; maybe a wheelchair ramp in the back, lots of stout grab-bars in the bathrooms and a shower seat.

The old saying "Jack of all trades, master of none" seems not to fit Tony — just the opposite. I asked him how he came to exhibit so many unique skills and his modest reply downplayed his talents, as he emphasized what he calls perseverance. Anyone can have the talents. He says he is only different in the sense that he can stay with a task for years if it is necessary.

As I was getting ready to take my leave, I made reservations for the open house celebration. Tony acknowledges being years behind. So I asked, "Should we make it sometime in the year 2008 or 2010?" Tony didn't know or care much. He may not even live long enough to finish the house. He credits one of his Parkinson's symptoms, his slow movements, as kind of giving him permission to take it slow and easy. What difference does it make if a professional can do a particular project in half the time? If you enjoy doing it, that is the only thing that really counts!

by Mary Ruth Kittrell
former editor of the Kansas City Parkinson's Update