If you were
as fortunate as me and crossed paths with someone who changed your life when
you were starting to doubt your future, you would want to recognize him or her
and would remember them always. With that thought, I will share a story in this
blog because someone may be inspired to pay it forward elsewhere and change
somebody else’s life. I hope so.
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| Bridge in Kingston, NY |
The story is
about an anonymous hero, hereinafter referred to as AH, and it begins a
few years ago when I got a phone call from a very good friend with whom I had
worked at several New York based real estate companies. I had been out of work
for over a year; I was feeling like I had Parkinson’s because I had
Parkinson’s. I had given up looking for the type of
opportunity I had enjoyed for all of my career. At that time I was negotiating
a position with an energy management firm
that would allow me to at least stay active, but it was not a great
opportunity for someone with 20 plus years of experience in New York real
estate. My friend knew I was pretty discouraged with my career and my health.
He knew I had Parkinson’s disease. Nevertheless, he offered to introduce me to AH,
the anonymous hero mentioned above. I accepted the offer. One conversation led
to another and to a job offer that turned out to be beyond my expectations. AH
told me that I did not need to provide references because he checked me out
himself. Because it was such a senior position and a great opportunity, I felt I had
to let AH know that I had Parkinson’s. Truth be told, at that time, I did not
have a whole lot of confidence that I could carry the workload. PD had taken
control of my attitude, if not some of my physical abilities. AH was taken
aback by my PD disclosure. He said a friend of his had PD for just four years and
was confined to a wheel chair. He was surprised that I was looking for a job,
let alone his job offer. He said he would have to hold the job offer until he
checked with his lawyer on what to do. I knew that any good lawyer would not
allow his client to hire someone with PD for a senior position with major
responsibilities and a heavy workload. I was right, but after AH told me his
lawyer told him not to hire me, he hired me. That was the moment that I knew AH
was a special kind of person. It was also the moment that changed my life. Here
I am years later, still thinking about and appreciating that moment.
Now the
pressure was on me. Not by AH, but by me. I had very little confidence that I
could carry the workload and set my first goal as just getting to work for two
weeks. Well, two weeks became two months became two years became several more
years of challenging and rewarding real estate opportunities, including
investing in real estate along with AH. As I told him, I only wish we had
crossed paths when I was at my peak in career performance so he could have seen
what I could have done working with him.
When I
decided to leave the New York real estate world to devote more time to my growing
photography career, it was a very difficult decision. AH helped by supporting
my photography in a big way, buying and displaying a lot of my work. And he was
there at my first gallery exhibit at One Art Space in Tribeca.
AH was and still
is a big part of my success in dealing with and resisting Parkinson’s. It was
his taking a risk against his lawyer’s advice to hire an old guy past his
career prime with PD. It was seeing someone put more faith in me than I had in
myself. I couldn’t not succeed. AH didn’t allow me the opportunity to fail. I
didn’t realize it at that time, but my program of resisting Parkinson’s
disease was born on that moment when AH
offered me that job. It was that moment that changed my life.
In those
years since that moment I have proven to myself and others that PD symptoms can
be beaten into submission. And while it is hard work, knowing that I have
recaptured parts of my life that I thought were forever gone gives me more satisfaction than I deserve.
Jim, thank
you.
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