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Diann Shaddox Foundation for Essential Tremor
 Happy Birthday Quaid Witherspoon Well, it’s been four years since I sat down in my office and wrote “A Faded Cottage” a SC love story about an artist who develops Essential Tremor. I have to say my life has change dramatically because of this one small book. So today I have to say "Happy Birthday Quaid Witherspoon." “A Faded Cottage” is a journal of only two weeks of Quaid Witherspoon’s life and takes place from December 18 to the first of the New Year. I’ve sat back pondered what my life would be like if I’d not published “A Faded Cottage” March 2013 and continued with my plan of publishing my other books. I guess I have to believe my journey was for a reason. Life can be a mystery and I wouldn't have taken on the challenge and be sitting here today working on a new foundation, Diann Shaddox Foundation dedicated to find a cure for Essential Tremor, if I’d stayed the route that I’d planned. I became adamant to make a change when I began talking to people around the country and no one had heard of Essential Tremor, even though I’d had ET for over thirty years and learned 10 million Americans also had ET, including my son Rick who died in May 2014. I kept asking myself; how could that be? Something needed to be done. But I soon learned that one cold December night changed my life, for the better only time will tell that answer. It was the night of December 18, 2010, my birthday, a very calm and uneventful night. I couldn't sleep, which isn't unusual for me, so I made my way downstairs to my cubby office. I decided, since I was wide-awake that I’d work on one of my novels.
I sat down in front of the computer and began to type, but it seemed my fingers and hands had another idea as they shook uncontrollably hovering over the keyboard. If you've tried to text as you are riding in a car or train when it’s bumpy, then you might understand how difficult it is to type when you have trouble hitting the correct keys with tremoring fingers. You see, I have had Essential Tremor from my early twenties and I’d learn to deal with my tremors for many years, but this night it became overpowering. I leaned back in my chair and stared at the computer screen, my anger grew watching my hands tremble over the keyboard, and for once in my life I felt sorry for myself. The question of why me, a question without an answer, played repeatedly in my mind. I took in a deep breath, closed my eyes and I let my tremoring hands type and the words, “Happy birthday dumb-ass” were written across the screen. I laughed and let the words flow and Quaid Witherspoon, a famous artist, was born. A man who had everything or so he thought, but now his hands had abandoned him and his life of painting had ceased, becoming a bitter man. I didn't plan the story of Quaid that night, but his character emerged from my mind and the story grew and my hands calmed, while I released the stress of the evening telling Quaid’s story, a journal of only two weeks of his life. The story of Quaid Witherspoon, the novel 'A Faded Cottage', became an incredible love story, one about strength of mind to fight fate and never accept what life throws at you. ‘A Faded Cottage’ is journal of a famous artist not of his life, but of only two weeks, a love story about aging and two people being reunited after thirty years finding love can conquer all. Through this process of bringing ‘A Faded Cottage’ to life, I have learned so much and talking, listening to everyone’s stories so similar to mine has brought calmness to my life. Essential tremor (ET) is a progressive neurological condition that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs, or trunk. About 10 million Americans have Essential Tremor and million more people worldwide. That's about 5% of all people in the United States. For comparison sake, 7.8% of the population have some type of diabetes. Most people though haven’t heard about Essential Tremor and I’m adamant to bring attention to the world. I have become an activist to bring awareness to Essential Tremor and founded the Diann Shaddox Foundation, Non-Profit 501c(3) organization committed to help people struggling in today’s world with neurological conditions such as Essential Tremor, Dystonia, & Parkinson’s. DSF is dedicated to inspire, educate, enlighten, and increase awareness to the world about people living every day with neurological conditions such as Essential Tremor. 100% of the sales of 'A Faded Cottage' will go to the Diann Shaddox Foundation. Please go to www.diannshaddoxfoundation.org and donate, every penny counts and will bring us closer to finding a cause and cure. DSF’s funds will be used for awareness and will be distributed for research to find the cause and a cure for Essential Tremor. Now, 'A Faded Cottage' has become a vehicle to explain about Essential Tremor and how so many, over 10 million Americans and millions more worldwide including children, live each day with tremoring hands, head, voice, and entire body. Diann Shaddox Foundation and I will make a difference even if it’s only letting a few more people around the world understand what Essential Tremor and movement disorders are. www.diannshaddoxfoundation.org Comments are closed.
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