Lean On Me

May 25, 2016

Inside Steve Ritter's home in rural Carlton, you are surrounded by things made with his hands.

"It depends on the day, I mean some days my fingers won't work and other days I go out in the shop. I enjoy to be out there to make a few little things," said Steve.

'Little things,' like his bed frame, plant stands, a handful of lamps - all made by Steve. But some days Steve's fingers won't work because he has Parkinson's.

"I have about 330 - this is my monthly dosage," Steve said as he showed us his medication.

That comes out to a dozen pills a day. And those 12 pills keep Steve moving. They help him get out of bed, let the dogs out, and get on with his day. They act as a dopamine replacement, helping with his Parkinson's symptoms.

"I don't have so much of the tremors, I do have some. But most of my problem is rigidity," said Steve. "And without that I'm miserable."

The medication seems to work wonders, but there's no cure. When diagnosed a decade ago, Steve was working as a general contractor, building custom log homes. When the Parkinson's got bad, he took retirement. But at 62 - he isn't letting the disease take over.

Despite a daunting diagnosis, Steve's outlook on life is anything but. He has a sense of humor that puts you at ease and a hearty chuckle that's contagious.

"I always tell people I get younger and better looking all day," he said, referring to his medication getting him moving in the morning.

After years of building, woodworking is a natural outlet for Steve. Another outlet? Oil painting.

"I've never had any formal training. They aren't really that artistic, but they express my feelings," explained Steve.

He's also penned a series of thriller novels.

"I wrote it more for myself. It has little pieces of me in the book, too, hopefully not the hitman," he said with a laugh.

Steve is a guy who clearly likes to be doing things. But all these hobbies would be difficult if it weren't for his medication and a bout of intense therapy four years ago. If you had met Steve then, you may not have even been able to hear him speak.

"It was pretty much a whisper. I thought I was talking normally. I figured everyone around me just couldn't hear anymore," he said.

So, Steve headed to Essentia Health in Duluth for physical and speech therapy aimed at regaining what the Parkinson's was taking away - his movement and his voice.

Susan Schaefer is a speech language pathologist at Essentia. She administers Loud Therapy. It's a program designed specifically for Parkinson's patients. There's also a physical therapy portion - called Big.

"It's a very structured program, it's very intense. You do it four times a week for four weeks," explained Susan.

After the four weeks, they are sent home with daily exercises. Something Steve has done now for four years.

"It helped greatly, but you have to work at it every day, too," he said.

During her ten years of doing Loud Therapy, Susan says the changes she has seen, such as in Steve, are nothing short of amazing.

"This is a part of Parkinson's you can fight," she said. "They leave and they feel like, 'I still got it, I'm still me.'"

Steve thinks all Parkinson's patients should give the therapy a try. He notes, each case is different, but it's helped him continue to do things he loves.

Even with the therapy and medication, however, Steve still has his bad days. He may not have some of the telltale signs of Parkinson's - he doesn't shuffle, no obvious tremors - but he works at it every day. Every time he takes a step, every time he speaks, it takes extra effort.

"There are times that are very off times. I can't walk as well, [there are] times I need a cane," he said.

Sometimes it can be easier to talk about with others who face the same trials. Steve is a part of several local support groups, but at two o'clock in the morning, it's the internet he turns to.

"You can be up in the middle of night, when you can't sleep, and you can find someone here in England or in Canada, all around the world, that you can talk to," he said.

He's found solace with others, all over the world, who are living with Parkinson's. They range from their 20s to their 70s and their online community has a fitting name - Never Give Up.

The group offers a listening ear. But they've also added another hobby to Steve's long list.

Inside his workshop, you will see his hands have moved from log homes to canes. Canes that will go to others fighting Steve's same fight - Parkinson's.

He's made well over 100 canes, sending them to folks in the area and far beyond, free of charge.

"I've shipped them out to Canada, all over the U.S., Australia," he noted.

 Steve makes the canes out of diamond willow, a wood he collects each spring and picks with purpose.

"Diamond willow reminds me a lot of Parkinson's because they are twisted, they are gnarled, and yet when you take off the bark, sand them down, clean them up, get varnish on there, it shows the inner beauty of the wood," explained Steve.

He says it's a little something he can do to help others, but helping others is also also helping him.

"I force myself many mornings to get moving and have something to do. At least if I know there is painting or woodworking to do, it makes me get up to do those things," he said.

Parkinson's is not something Steve asked for, but he's found ways to cope, while also giving others a little something to lean on.

And ironically, it may not be the cane, but the brush that gives Steve a voice. Steve has an oil painting tucked away in his guest bedroom that is particularly special. He considers it his 'Parkinson's picture' and it shows a man walking with a cane on a path toward sunshine.

"It's what Parkinson's means to me, I guess. There is a battle to get there, but you want to stay out of the rain and into the sunshine."

It can be a daily battle for Steve, but he emphasizes it doesn't need to be a lonely one. He hopes others with Parkinson's will know there is strength in numbers.

"You don't have to just hideaway in your house, you can get out with a group of people. You can have fun," he said.

And now Steve will be getting out a little more. Spring is finally here, it's time to go out and collect more diamond willow. 

If you are interested in learning more about Steve's canes or the support groups he's involved in, you can reach him via email at ritterlog@aol.com. 

 To Watch Video:

http://www.wdio.com/news/parkinsons-disease-carlton-canes-woodworking-support-groups-essentia-therapy/4148090/?cat=10335