Divorce rates increase when women have brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease, sadly, this doesn't surprise me. It seems that many divorces happen almost on a whim or when an event turns in a marriage that was unexpected. I found it interesting that there was much higher rate of divorce when women have brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's then when men have these ailments or diseases. Although there is an increase in divorce when these ailments and diseases are introduced into a relationship the ratio is much lower for those who have Parkinson's disease. The article does not give statistical figures about divorce rates among those with Parkinson's disease, but it mentions that it is much lower those with brain tumors or multiple sclerosis.
The Older the Better: I believe the lower divorce rate with those that have Parkinson's disease rather then brain tumors or multiple sclerosis is because those that are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are much older, usually above 65 years old. As a marriage matures into the later years of life there seems to be a greater bond, reliance, and even love that exists in the marriage. There's one marriage that's affected by Parkinson's disease that I particularly look up to, because of the way they work through some of the issues that Parkinson's disease brings into their marriage. They approach it in such a way that there seems to be an even stronger bond then there was before the marriage partner was diagnosed with Parkinson's, but that doesn't mean it's a natural process--it takes work.
It Takes Time: It's easy to write the wonderful stories about how Parkinson's brought unity, a special bond, or depth to a marriage, but it takes time, work, and patience--just like any other relationship. I was just talking to a friend and he was telling me how difficult marriage was. I kept quiet and let him talk, but I couldn't help but think about what lies in his future- there's bound to be many more struggles and indifferences, I just hope that by that time he forgets about some of smaller details of marriage and see the greatest blessings marriage has to offer.