Martí has lived with Parkinson’s for a long time and today he accepts it with a happy attitude.
Ricardo Martí Ruiz, 51, is a writer, publicist and Parkinson’s patient. Photo: Journal of Medicine and Public Health. Fabiola Plaza.
Ricardo Marti Ruiz, 51, is a writer, publicist and Parkinson’s patient for regarding twelve years. He remembers that at 14 or 15 years old, he lost his sense of smell, so he suspected that he was living with the condition before receiving the medical diagnosis.
Today he admits that, if he had had more information regarding Parkinson’s, he would have looked for something to do much sooner. It calls for, if the same thing happens to someone, or you know of someone who has lost their sense of smell, go to a doctor in search of important information regarding your nutrition and your digestive system, since new solutions emerge that deserve to be known .
These patients should exercise and “the sooner you know regarding their condition, the better the prognosis,” says Martí Ruiz. For him, losing his sense of smell was related to his allergic condition, so he did not give it the relevant importance until he began to have problems walking.
His steps were short and he didn’t know why he was walking that way, his movement was limited. The others began to notice and he, along with his family, decided to find an explanation. They visited many professionals, but it was a neurologist who detected that the trembling of his feet when they were suspended was a sign of Parkinson’s. Since then, he was referred to another doctor and finally a female doctor continued to treat him.
Many people do not associate Parkinson’s with Ricardo’s age, since he was 40 years old. Today it is known that people in his age range are not exempt from risk.
“Parkinson’s is an umbrella term that encompasses a number of problems that may or may not be shared. The most significant is the tremor, but there are many people who have Parkinson’s and do not tremble”, Ricardo maintains.
He adds that he suffers from dyskinesia, which is “the result of the medicine I took to remedy the problem. If I weren’t on medication, I would be under the effect of Parkinson’s: stiff, with poor balance, a lot of trembling in my right foot and I would probably be dying.
The medication is a relief, but it is not perfect, as once a point is reached, it may not be as efficient and may fluctuate. Many times the last pill loses its effectiveness before the next one is activated. This causes what they call the off periods, characterized by tremors in the limbs, general stiffness, dystonia, difficulty walking and lack of balance.
“Apart from motor problems, which are the most obvious, there are others that are not so obvious, such as depression, hallucinations, sleep problems or fragmented sleep. I never sleep more than three hours at a time,” says Ricardo.
In the workplace, as well as in other spheres of his life, the condition has represented a challenge, since he perceives that there are people who do not react well to this reality and do not want to see it that way. In his personal relationships, to survive, he must be selfish, as he catalogs it, since a person with his condition requires a lot of support, love and patience. He strives to be the best patient possible, trying to make the experience enjoyable, but the reality is that it is a demanding condition.
Parkinson’s has forced him to assume a more passive role in life, he confesses that he spends a lot of time alone, something very new for him, but he admits that he cannot ask his relatives to sit there with him all the time. He suspects there might come a time when he needs a much bigger presence.
Playing tennis or bowling are some skills that can be learned and that, in addition to being beautiful, are necessary. He practices tennis, since it helps him to improvise, to decide at the moment, to seek balance in different positions, to coordinate movements in the hands that are precise, as well as in the body and torso. In addition, he allows you to meet new friends and foster fellowship. Likewise, he gets a lot of emotional pleasure when he plays his guitar, an apprenticeship he gained in his spare time and following receiving his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
You feel that every day you have a new challenge to take on and, in the end, you can feel the satisfaction or reward of having achieved it.
The good thing regarding Parkinson’s: Ricardo Martí and his positive attitude
Something that he also practices a lot is chess. Watch many videos to learn new things. This led him to write an article entitled: The good thing regarding Parkinson’s, where he states that, unlike other diseases, the solution is more terrifying than the condition itself, but in Parkinson’s you can fight, playing tennis, receiving massages, drinking wine , taking naps, celebrating with friends, going to the beach, singing, learning to dance, having adventures, going on trips, which forces patients to celebrate life to the fullest.
“Singing strengthens the vocal cords and this helps once morest the loss of the capacity for expression”, which Ricardo has already begun to experience.
Martí Ruiz resigned from his job as creative director of an agency and has dedicated himself fully to literature, now he is dedicated to being a writer. He was inspired by his grandmother to create El finalito, which is a sequel to El principito, a book that serves as consolation for those who are at the end of his life. He has also created other literary works, short stories and has won international competitions on the Island, Chile and Europe.
Today other patients with Parkinson’s call him and Martí gives them encouragement, well, not in vain they have nicknamed him “The Happy Parkinsonian”. He also created his page El junte de Parkys, where he invites all the people who are linked to this condition, either personally or because they are caregivers, since the more they congregate, the more activities can be done in Puerto Rico to receive support.
See the full program:
