Thomas Orton is a professional novelist and freelance writer. He is author of the blog Rogue Rhythm: Parkinson's and the Rest of Life. His novel, The Lost Glass Plates of Wilfred Eng, earned critical praise nationwide. He is also the author of Kenneth Callahan, an art book about the renowned Northwest painter. As a freelance writer, Orton has worked extensively in the medical and health care fields. He was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2009.
If you have a chronic illness, Orton believes there are two important things you must do to live a good life: Pay attention to the details that give pleasure, and laugh a lot. Laughter is especially good medicine, both physically and mentally. There's so much grimness surrounding chronic disease, so many dire predictions, too many pills, and too much expense.
Chronic illnesses can seem to inhabit every inch of us, body and soul. It takes ingenuity and resourcefulness to find a corner we can still own. Pleasure and enjoyment are no longer options -- they are serious prescriptions for health, disciplines that might help turn a nightmare life into one that is valued by everyone.