Huge Positive Reinforcement

I recently came across a Facebook post from PSP patient Dr. Branko Lugovic, who has now passed the 10-year mark since his first symptoms and was diagnosed in 2019. I cannot believe I was unaware of his story until now.

More than a decade after those first symptoms, he remains remarkably active. He exercises every day, far more than I do, continues to work in his vineyard, still walks independently, and, from what I can see, remains relatively self-sufficient. Positivity seems woven into his character.

I have not yet read his book, Hard Days: My Life With a Neurodegenerative Disease, but I did come across a review of it. He is open about the challenges and realities of living with PSP, yet the simple fact that he is still writing, reflecting, and sharing his experiences feels remarkable. I take a huge amount of encouragement from that alone.

Our situations are clearly different. He is still walking, for example, which is something I am no longer able to do. I also recognize that most PSP patients will not experience this level of function and quality of life so many years after symptom onset. His experience appears to be unusual, and it would be unrealistic to pretend otherwise.

Even so, stories like his matter.

I aim high, and it is enormously encouraging to see that someone has already achieved many of the things I aspire to. Knowing that these outcomes are possible, even if they are uncommon, strengthens my determination and gives me another reason to keep pushing forward.

Rather than seeing only the limitations of PSP, I find hope in examples like Dr. Lugovic’s. They remind me that the future is not written in advance and that some goals that may seem distant are not necessarily beyond reach.