Took this off the PSP Listserv..... As u may no MSA is commonly
misdiagnosed as PSP.
This appeared in the Austin Statesman today....My mom says there are several
pictures, which you cannot view online. It is emotional for me to read, but
I thought many of you would find it interesting. Most of the article is
accurate, however their are only 4 children all together, 3 girls (I am the
oldest daughter) and 1 son. I am so proud of my father, my mom, and my
sister, and grateful that she is in a position to serve my dad.
Alisa
Here is the link:
http://www.austin360.com/statesman/editions/today/life_entertainment_1.html
Or, for those without web access...the text is below:
Tuesday, March 20
As Sen.Tom Haywood battles Parkinson's disease, daughter Denise is by his
side
Story by Claudia Grisales
American-Statesman Staff
Tuesday, March 20, 2001
Denise Haywood sits at the edge of her seat near the Senate floor with her
hands clasped in a prayerlike pose, a worried expression on her face and her
eyes transfixed on her father. On this day, Sen. Tom Haywood, R-Wichita
Falls, is introducing three of his bills for debate on the Senate floor.
As one of only 31 state senators, Haywood holds a powerful position. But he
has a form of Parkinson's disease, and the things most people take for
granted -- the power to speak clearly, turn a page or start on a walk --
don't come easy for him.
"His first step is hard," Denise says of her father. "Once he gets that
first step, he can keep going."
Denise, 37, and her father, a senator since 1995, are familiar figures
walking through the hallways of a Capitol congested with legislators,
lobbyists and others partaking in the latest round of lawmaking.
Each day of the session she is there, supporting his back as he climbs
stairs, crouching next to him in a committee hearing, or writing notes on
the Senate floor.
"I tell people I play follow the leader," Denise says. "I'm just goin'
around wherever he goes."
Her father, she notes, disagrees: "When I tell people that, Dad always says,
`I believe I always play follow the leader.' "
During floor action, she watches from a distance in case she needs to come
over to help. Haywood isn't able to keep his eyes open, so he has tape
placed above them to help. When that doesn't work, Denise gently pushes his
eyelids open.
Denise decided to be by her father's side throughout the five-month
legislative session as Haywood's condition progressively weakened his
ability to move around. Soon his simplest movements became a chore. He can
no longer drive or write much beyond a signature.
"For me it means everything," Haywood says of his daughter's devotion. "For
my constituents, it means I am able to continue serving them."
Haywood was diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, an incurable
Parkinson's-related disease, during a bid for the Texas Senate in 1993.
Symptoms of PSP, a rare degenerative brain disorder, include difficulty
keeping balance. PSP attacks brain cells that control balance and eye
movements as well as some mental and motor functions. It only affects about
one out of 100,000 people.
British comic actor Dudley Moore, who has PSP, has tried to raise awareness
about the disease. Most recently, he deflected rumors that people with PSP
can't continue working by pointing to a recent music CD he put together.
And Haywood, 61, has continued to work through his illness, pushing for a
day-care incentive act that gives companies tax breaks and legislation to
curb lawsuit abuse. As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Agriculture,
he is focused on a statewide agriculture policy.
Thoughtful and patient
Those closest to Denise consider her to be the perfect aide for her father.
Jennifer Ransom Rice, the senator's communication director and a close
friend of his daughter's, said Denise helps people relax when they are
around Haywood.
Ransom Rice said Denise will often make jokes when people are nervous around
her father, and she teases them when they mistake him for being deaf because
his condition slows his speech.
Pat Haywood, Denise's mom, said it takes compassion and patience for Denise
to spend day in and day out at the Capitol.
This session, Denise bought a little mirror to place in front of her father
during committee meetings so she can watch his eyes as she sits behind him.
"She amazes me," Pat Haywood said. "She is always doing thoughtful things."
Denise said it was an obvious choice to attend the session with her father
because she doesn't have children or career demands competing for her
attention. Before the legislative grind made its way into Denise's life, she
worked different jobs in business and tried a stint in college, none of it
holding her attention too long.
"My dad said my grade point average was WP -- withdrawal passing," Denise
says, laughing. "He just says the most hysterical things."
Undeterred by disease
Haywood, born and raised in the Dallas area, was a physics professor and
businessman before he made his bid for a seat in the state House in 1990.
After he lost that race, he ran for a Senate seat. But during that race,
Haywood faced a different sort of opponent: signals that something was wrong
with his health.
It started with the absence of a smile, Haywood said. During that
hard-fought election in 1992 against Democrat Steve Carriker, Haywood
couldn't look happy, which was caused by loss of muscle control.
He lost the race by a slim margin and was diagnosed with a form of
Parkinson's the following year. In 1994, redistricting lawsuits forced a new
race, so Haywood ran again. The third time was the charm. Haywood talked
openly about his disease in his rematch with Carriker. Despite editorials
that raised concerns about Haywood's health, he won.
But it wasn't until the 1999 session that Haywood's illness progressed to
the point where he needed help from his daughter.
Today, Haywood speaks lightheartedly about the disease: "Life is kinda the
pits when you have Parkinson's."
Though his health still made the front page of the Wichita Falls paper
during Haywood's 1998 re-election, colleagues in the Legislature say his
illness should never have been a campaign issue.
"Whatever illness he has that may slow him down, his stubborn tenacity gets
him where he needs to be both figuratively and literally," said Rep. David
Farabee, D-Wichita Falls. "You don't always have to agree with his political
philosophy to see that."
Denise knows that firsthand. Her ideals are a sharp contrast to her father's
traditional family values.
Among other things this session, Haywood is sponsoring a covenant marriage
bill that would hold marriages to stricter requirements before a divorce
could be granted. The bill passed through the Senate last session but failed
in the House.
"It cracks me up," Denise says of her father's bill. Marriage, she adds, is
just something she doesn't think about, although she's in a 17-year
relationship with her live-in boyfriend.
Sassy style
Denise's attitude toward marriage isn't the only way she bucks the status
quo. Denise's mother says it's in her daughter's nature to be a
nonconformist. Pat Haywood points to her daughter's edgy fashion sense as an
example. Her brightly colored outfits and daring shoes are a sharp contrast
to the staid hues of the Capitol.
On the day Haywood introduced his three bills, Denise wore a fiery colored
blouse with see-through lines.
"I don't want to look professional because I don't want to be professional,"
she says.
Denise says committing herself to her father's career has been a sacrifice,
especially for the time away from her boyfriend back in Wichita Falls, but
believes anyone would make a similar choice. She said her four sisters and
one brother, who are all parents, do more than enough back home.
And when Tom Haywood gripped his daughter's hand tighter to begin his walks
through the halls of the Capitol, it was all Denise needed to confirm her
decision to be constantly by his side, she says.
Denise said the most gratifying part of every day is seeing her father's
colleagues treat him with respect.
"I wish his health was better," Denise says. "But he's living his dream.
There's not much more to wish for beyond that."
You may contact Claudia Grisales at 445-3673 or at cgrisales@....