April 4, 2018 at 5:30 p.m.
Duck Ponderings: Living with Parkinson's, traveling over 2,000 miles for help
Ken opened up and discussed living with Parkinson's and how he would be going through a progressive medical procedure in San Francisco. He first noticed something was not right in 2001 when waking up to the smell of burnt rubber instead of ham from the kitchen. Tremors and stumbling followed with several visits to doctors and eventually a diagnosis leading to an early exit from a company he had helped build with his dad. Fourteen years later, Ken felt as if medication was too controlling of his life. It took 27 pills a day to help him maintain some type of normalcy, to keep him walking as opposed to crawling. He had done his research and was convinced the best option would be a high-tech surgery headed by a respected doctor in the field. There were risks, but he felt the operation was necessary for his future. Scott and I were wondering if we would be so courageous while hearing about how two nickel-sized holes would be drilled through his skull for two electrodes to extend deep into his brain and then burr caps being inserted.
Afterward, Scott suggested that Ken write a book. I recommended a CD since he had other priorities at the time with one of them being preparing for the most important challenge of his life. Ken agreed, and we headed to a recording studio to work with my good friend, Darrell Patterson, the owner and engineer of Shady Lane Studio.
Darrell did not know that Ken would take us from one event to another in his life while making us laugh often and then cry at other times. Darrell certainly didn't know we would need 10 recording hours, two different sessions! Ken felt at ease in the studio because he was a radio star while in Japan for two years as a student. While on air, he would answer questions from bags full of mail in their language, now and then making mistakes that ended up making him even more of a hit. People there just wanted to know more about the guy from America they referred to as Deka (deck-a) Ken, meaning Big Ken.
After the recording sessions, I presented Ken a special duck. It was my way of letting him know he had learned all the many Duck lessons as a fifth grader quite well, evident in his stories. I thanked him for continuing to teach me, what students often do, and I thanked him for making a positive difference. When we shook hands at the end and looked into the eyes of one another, I went back in time to when he was 10, sitting in my classroom. Neither Ken nor I knew that our paths would continue to cross, that I would be praying and pacing while he was undergoing an eight-hour surgery.
I am happy to report Ken made it through the surgery with one of his first comments being, "I have one heck of a hair cut!"
Ken is grateful to his family, friends, and the community for all their great support. He now has time to work on his book! I will be the first to purchase it with Scott right behind me; others will follow. Ken's mail might even rival what he received in Japan when only 20! No matter what his condition, I know Ken Seim will make every day count.[[In-content Ad]]
