Travel. What is it that draws us yonder?

Curiosity? Opportunity? Thrill of a journey? Pulling force of emotional attachments? Pushed by personal experience? Appeal of a far away place? The list goes on. For some of us it is because once we have traveled and enjoyed the experience we can hardly wait to go again!

People with dystonia are intensely uplifted by the experience of meeting fellow dystonics in far away places. This is particularly so when we discover how truly global the effects of living with dystonia are.

That little aphorism ‘our world is a global village’ becomes personal experience. When in another culture and within our social interactions we soon realize the golden threads binding us together are those universal values of recognizing a Deity or force greater than ourselves, living in family units, a system of laws, and respecting each other’s need for times of privacy. Once we are comfortable with these values and respect the belief systems of others we can then enjoy the sights, history and essence, of each place we visit.

Although three months have passed since returning from our most recent journey, the events of that time remain as fresh in my son’s and my own mind’s eye as when we experienced them. There is much to write about, especially focusing on meeting other people with dystonia and also the medical people in treatment teams.

In early October I return to Brisbane for my next treatment for spasmodic dysphonia and cervical dystonia at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. Before that visit I will write about our journey to the North East of England. Wonderful things are happening there in the area of research and treatment for dystonia. If you have a question or a comment I would love to hear from you.

Enjoy the links in this article, you never know where they may lead y0u!

Sue Bayliss.
Cairns, Australia.