The Charco Blog

The Power of Poetry, with Jennifer Ormond

We met with Jenny Ormond to discuss her new booklet of poetry, Welcome To My World, based on her experiences with Parkinson’s.

I’m not going to get old before my time

Jenny’s optimism and enthusiastic joie de vivre was evident from the moment we met her. Her energy is infectious, and as we sat down to interview her, it was easy to forget that she’s now in her 70’s. Her positive outlook is something that has helped her throughout her life, even before her diagnosis; Jenny worked for many years as the manager for a bank in Milton Keynes, beginning her job after having been a full-time mother for many years. Though she joined with “no experience, they decided to put me as manager at that bank, and I ended up with quite a job.” Despite being new in the role, she excelled in it, with her fortitude and positive attitude helping her to ensure it ran smoothly. “I was good at coping with stress; it never bothered me.”

Jenny’s life changed with her Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2006, at the age of 55. She had gone to hospital for an unrelated reason, but noticed a slight tremor in her arm, which she likens to having “pulled a muscle”. She decided to have it examined while she was there, and was informed that she had Parkinson’s on the same day as her daughter’s wedding. Jenny is candid about the difficulties she faced in the period following her diagnosis, and how the news affected her. “I wasn’t very well at the beginning. I can’t explain it, it’s like I sort of got old… then one day I woke up, and I thought ‘I’m not having this, I’m not going to get old before my time.’” Jenny’s ability to keep a cool head under pressure, coupled with her infectious positivity, led to her reframing how she perceived her Parkinson’s.

Determined not to let it define her or take away her energy, Jenny decided to try and take control of her own life. In particular, and like many members of our community, she decided to exercise in order to ensure her good health continued, and to try and reduce her symptoms. To do so, she decided to indulge in her love of swimming, doing 70 lengths of the swimming pool each day. “In two different swimming pools on holiday I have been asked if I was the lifeguard,” she writes in her booklet. “Age equality takes on a new meaning when a little old lady of 71 with Parkinson’s can be mistaken for a lifeguard.”

Jenny moves with a real fluidity, able to sit down on the floor and stand up more easily than many people half her age. She credits her swimming regime with helping her to maintain control over her Parkinson’s, commenting that even “the Parkinson’s nurse thinks it’s the swimming I’ve done every day that has prevented it from getting worse”. This, coupled with her attitude that “you can make the best of life”, has helped her stay in control of her life and her condition. In one of her poems, she expresses in a succinct and beautiful manner her feelings on this:

The most super bunch of people you could ever meet

Jenny’s unshakeable optimism speaks to her strong and positive character, but she credits the fantastic network of people around her for giving her such fortitude. In particular, her husband Bill has been a constant support, helping her in the ways that she needed and found most useful. “He would support me if I needed it, but he’s not there saying ‘Oh Jenny, do you need this or do you need that?’ That would drive me up the wall!” Jenny credits her husband’s approach with making her independent and strong-willed, while still giving her the support she needs. Jenny’s children and grandchildren have also been of great help to her, keeping her energised and giving her a reason to stay active and cheerful. In one instance in her booklet, she humorously notes that her grandchildren tell her “Nanny is better at football than grandad”; her swimming has clearly paid off, and the positive influence of her family is undoubtedly a massive part of how Jenny manages to stay so optimistic.

Her friends have also been hugely important in Jenny’s life and her experience with Parkinson’s. Having met them in the spa where she goes to swim, they have quickly become a central part of her life, and she describes them as “amazing friends who have been supportive and loyal… they really are the most super bunch of people you could ever meet”. They have undoubtedly been beneficial to Jenny’s health; she describes staying with a friend, Bev, while she and Bill were in the midst of moving house, a time she likens to being “like a student in a flat”. The happy memories of her visit clearly show as her face lights up. “We used to laugh, and if I could say to anybody one of the best things to do is laugh when you’ve got Parkinson’s. Find things funny.”

Having a strong support network is something that many members of the Parkinson’s community have found to be essential, and in Jenny’s case it’s obvious that having friends and family around her that not only support her but enliven and enrich her has been transformative. Jenny puts the benefits of such a network in a beautifully succinct way. “It’s just having faith in people, you know? Believing in them.” The benefits of Jenny’s supportive friends are clear to see, as she explores in her poetry:

Every poem I write is based on the truth

Jenny reads a poem to one of our team
Jenny reads a poem to one of our team

Jenny’s love and talent for poetry is something that didn’t develop until after her diagnosis. Despite being so candid during our interview, she tells us that to most people, she’s “a closed book. The people at the bank told me that I’m easy to know, but hard to get to know.” Poetry, Jenny feels, became a way for her to express herself freely. “I am bad in relating my feelings, and sometimes I think that’s why the poetry comes out. I’ve found it easier to put my feelings on paper.”

As she began writing poetry, Jenny realised that she had a talent for expressing herself in an honest and often humorous way. She wrote more and more poetry about herself, her Parkinson’s, and some of the funny and memorable things that she has experienced, with a surprising number happening in the supermarket. Jenny eventually had the idea of compiling some of her poetry, in which she finds beauty in the mundane and joy in the little things, as well as the difficulties she’s encountered living with Parkinson’s, into a booklet.

“I wanted to let people know, ‘Yes, it’s crap at the beginning, but there is hope, and you’ll come out alright in the end.’” Jenny decided that she wanted to help people who had been recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s, or were having difficulties with their Parkinson’s. Helping people is something that she has always had a passion for, even back in her days as a bank manager. “As a manager, you were able to develop people and help them grow. I always did it, and it was something I got a great deal of pleasure from. I really enjoyed seeing someone who’s been on the cashier advance up to financial services. It was wonderful.” Jenny’s desire to help people never went away, and even now she wants to help others. She encourages people at every turn to count their blessings and look on the bright side of life, as she has done so successfully:

The result of this desire was Jenny writing and compiling her booklet of poetry, Welcome To My World. Jenny was adamant that she wouldn’t receive any money or compensation for her work, and that it would be free to anyone who wanted it. “It’s completely non-financial; it was just something that I had a goal to do.” Jenny smiles serenely. “I’m not the wealthiest woman in the world, but I’m not poor either, so I don’t need money. Can’t take it with me.” She talks about her booklet with an unabashed pride, eager to showcase her poetry off and help everyone that she can.

“This is not going to give you some magic cure or a profound guru giving you advice or some complicated diet. Just pure common sense.” Jenny doesn’t try to sugar-coat anything or downplay the hardships that she’s been through as a result of her Parkinson’s, but her booklet is testament to her ability to see the good in every situation, and the importance of counting your blessings. She’s honest about the fact that the booklet was something that she wanted to do, and something that she could focus on when times became difficult. “Finishing that book was one of my saviours, when I became really down.” She hopes that by sharing her experience, other people may feel less alone, and benefit from her optimism and experience.

You can make the best of it

Even though her booklet is finished, Jenny is determined to keep writing poetry, though another booklet is something she may not do for a while. “I wouldn’t do another like this”, she says; she’s achieved what she wanted to with this booklet, and wants to try something new. “I would like to write another collection, though, and I think I’ll get better at it as I go on, you know? But it’s got to be something I believe in.” Jenny is far too full of energy and excitement to sit back and rest on her laurels; although she’s unsure of what she wants to write about exactly, she’s set on continuing as a poet and trying to lift up and inspire others. Her optimism and positive outlook, coupled with a limitless energy, has helped her and allowed her to help others.

Her final thoughts in her booklet sum up her uniquely sunny character, and her ability to look on the bright side of life. “I think I’ve become a much nicer person since I’ve had Parkinson’s. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not glad I’ve got Parkinson’s, but I am glad that I’ve been involved with it, because it’s made me care about people a lot more.”

“Please remember life is for living and enjoy the day today
Make sure you have a lovely day to reflect on when you go to bed”

Thank you, Jenny, for sharing your story with us.

To read Jenny’s booklet, ‘Welcome To My World’, please click here :).