Escapees
The stories below are written by escapees, people who have completed The Parkinson’s Prison and the Hero’s Journey to Escape, which follows the template of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and is centered around the film The Shawshank Redemption..
Most of these stories are written by people with PD and several are written by their caregivers. Some of the stories are about just one stage of the Hero’s Journey, while others cover more. Click on the images to read the stories.
Larry’s stories
by Larry Gifford
As President of the PD Avengers, Larry uses his words and voice as a fervent advocate for people with Parkinson's Disease.
Tom’s stories
by Tom Honig
Tom “learned that you don’t have to be thirty and healthy to be alive. But it helps to be given a spark of energy…”
Innocent
by Susan Scarlett
“I am just one person, just one voice. Does my voice matter? I say yes, and together with all the others, perhaps our message will be heard. Parkinson’s prisoners deserve respite, hope, and maybe even a cure.”
A Little Help
from my Friends
by Viperfish, aka Venetia Bradfield
This story begins in the first stage of the Hero’s Journey, the Ordinary World, (one’s life before PD), followed by The Call to Adventure, which describes one’s diagnosis.
Time Zones
by Michelle Lipshitz
The author of this story, an escapee from the Parkinson’s Prison, was a care partner for her father, who had PD. Caring for him was particularly challenging as she had one foot in California and the other in New York.
My PD Story
by Wayne Rich
An 80-year-old man, in his eighth year with Parkinson’s, writes, “PD first appeared as an iceberg. I started out only looking at the tip and therefore was not prepared for the totality of how it was going to affect my daily life.”
BJ’s story
by BJ Bement aka Cecil the Diesel
Coming soon.
Apathetic Annie
by Amy
In the sixth stage of the Hero’s Journey, the Ordeal, Amy faces her nemesis. Here in the Special World, Amy grapples with the smoker, Apathetic Annie, a cross between Mrs. Robinson and Cruella Deville.
The Gift of Hope
by Amy
The Return with Elixir is the twelfth and final stage of the Hero’s Journey, in which the protagonist returns to the Ordinary World with a personal metamorphosis and a renewed sense of responsibility.