YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
A mentor can guide you towards acceptance and hope!
A mentor is a consultant, a counselor and a cheerleader.
Mentors build a positive, protective, mutually beneficial and rewarding relationship built on respect, trust, caring and open communication.
YOPD Mentoring matches you with a peer mentor.
Your peer mentor also was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease, and, can, through their own experience, understand exactly what you are going through as you begin to reconcile your diagnosis. A peer mentor provides a comfortable and safe place to share your feelings and fears and offers assurance that the initial feelings of shock, numbness, hopelessness, and isolation are common.
Mentoring is taking someone less experienced under your tutelage and helping them through their journey. This entails work, commitment, and follow-through by the Mentor and Mentee, which, in turn can create a rewarding and positive experience for both.
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The YOPD Mentoring story.
YOPD Mentoring was started in 2019 by Livramento Delgado Boxing Foundation, Inc. (“LDBF”) working with both the Parkinson Foundation GA and American Parkinson’s Disease Association (APDA) to spread the message that those diagnosed with YOPD are not alone.
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The story behind YOPD Mentoring
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
I was diagnosed with YOPD in 2018, at the age of 52.
At my diagnosis appointment, the doctor handed me a pamphlet and said, see you in four months." My husband. Lee, and I were shocked, lost and confused. We walked out of the doctor's office not knowing where to turn for more direction and information.
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My diagnosis story is not unique.
In speaking, tweeting and blogging with others diagnosed with YOPD, I learned that many had had the exact same experience. I began to explore a way to help the ever-growing YOPD population bridge the gap between receiving the diagnosis, acknowledging the disease and finding hope that life exists after the diagnosis.
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I was lucky.
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I met my mentor, Sarah, in my boxing class - a saint that was my constant source of support and friendship in the early days of my diagnosis. Without her guidance, experience with the disease and patience, I'm not sure how I would have successfully moved beyond the painful diagnosis.
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Everybody needs a Sarah.
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Please don't wait. If you need a mentor, there are people who have been in your situation that are ready to support you through your life changing journey.
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Warm Regards,
Ellen Bookman
YOPD Mentoring Creator