Miller’s (inspiring) tale

It was a plate of soup, writes subscriber Miller Caldwell. I could not take it with a constantly shaking spoon. After a series of hospital tests I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease last year and of course the tremor in my right hand made me realise I could no longer be an author. I wondered what activities I could do to keep this 72 year old former author amused/entertained/occupied? Then a thought occurred. I could edit or compile but not write a long novel. I have a Parkinson’s nurse and a support group and I learned they were within five years of a cure of this ailment. What could I do to expedite that cure? I contacted my Dutch friend and poet Hannie. She had many contacts around the world and so from Bulgaria, Albania, Pakistan, Australia, The Netherlands, Siberia, Belgium, Germany and Eire, poems flooded in to add to my Facebook requests for poems. I asked for four poems from each poet together with the background to their poems and a snapshot of their faces. They all obliged. What’s more they were all in perfect English. It was fun collecting these international award-winning poets and their snapshots. The book was published by CityStone Publishers who wished to identify with the charity and so Penned Poetry for Parkinson’s Research, which has 220 pages, was published pro gratis in May 2022. Although I don’t have Alzheimer’s disease, I have Mild Cognitive Impairment which is a lesser form of Dementia. I had identified another charity book to raise funds for Alzheimer’s research. This time I thought I could add a few to my own dreams. I had no idea how popular this subject would be, yet again a multitude of dream contributions came from all over the world. A Dream Net was published in October 2022 by Clink Street publishers who have given me a generous discount due to the book’s charity status. But with regular medication and exercises from the book Goodbye Parkinson’s; Hello Life by Dr Alex Kerten, my tremor has diminished to the point that I feel I could write another book. All I need now is inspiration to find a story.