Just 2 C U Smile: The Coat that Could Part 1

Da Coat and Its Origin and Objectives by Judy Hensley

Part 1—How I Came to Obtain This Lovely Coat

Many people have asked me to tell them about this coat I started showing off around the year 2006. I had been diagnosed 4 years with Parkinson’s Disease at this time. My daughter Carol was 13 years old…that age where they expect their parents to act their age. Well my daughter got me with PD and a need to be seen and heard and to embarrass her whenever I could. So here we go…sit back and read the story of “The Coat that Could”!

My picture wearing this coat is the one that will also be in the "Proud Hands of Parkinson's” book along with a brief story of my Parkinson’s journey there. Just so you will know, I'll tell you the story of how I got this bright colored coat and used it to spread awareness about Pakinson’s disease and as only a mother can do, I used it to embarrass and make a point to my daughter.

Part 1 How I came to Aquire the Coat

A couple of summers ago I went in a discount store and saw some bright floral, light rain jackets with a designer name tag and an original retail price of near $200. I thought of buying it for $15 to use in skits at church. I thought the larger jackets felt better on, so I bought it, took it home and put it in a closet.

A week or so later my daughter was leaving for church camp, so I thought “just in case she gets sad about being away from her Dear Mom and Dear Dad”, I could lighten up the occasion by wearing the coat. She got in our van as I picked up a few more snacks out of the pantry and as I grabbed the coat out of the closet I put it on with some really cool sunglasses and bounced out to the van!

My Dear Daughter gasped and said "Mother, where did you get that ugly coat? And why do you have it on?" (I know I have really done a great job embarrassing her when she refers to me as 'mother'--she was 12 at the time.) My reply was "Baby, I'm sending you off in style!!" And you know the next thing she said, don't you? YES, it was “You ARE taking that jacket OFF before my friends see you, aren't you?" To which I just smiled and we proceeded to the church as my mind was formulating a plan.

As soon as we got to the church, Carol bolted out of the van got her stuff and gave me that look….you know the one…it is the “I-dare-you-to-get-that-thing-close-to-me” look. It didn’t work on me and since I could not go with them that summer to camp, l sent that coat with them. I had to, everyone was going crazy over it!!!! My Dear Daughter left that day swearing that she would find a way for the coat to stay at camp! I heard her little plan and told her it had to return or she was gonna be in big trouble!

As it turned out, the coat went to church camp in South Carolina and it was a big hit there! Just like I knew it would be. Camp was almost over and I got a call from one of the adults who went to camp with the kids. She said, 'your daughter has something to ask you and I think she is sincere'. My Dear Daughter then tells me in her most sweet angelic voice that she would like to donate the coat to camp so that many people all summer might enjoy it! I told her I could tell that she had honorable intentions, so I agreed to let that coat stay in South Carolina.

The next day on my lunch hour, I popped into the discount store in another city, and low-n-behold....there was my beautiful coat, and on CLEARANCE for $7.50!!!! Now who could pass it up? I could not wait to pick up my Dear Daughter the next day in the coat she just loved!!! Her look when she saw me....well, it was priceless!!!!!!!!!!!

Since my daughter hated the coat so much, it became my goal to demonstrate to her that she was in the minority on this, so it became my goal to ask as many people as I could to put the coat on and let me take their picture in it to show my daughter how mistaken she was about the lvely, multicolored coat. I tormented her with that coat, pictures of others in it, and even mailed it to people in several states and they would send me pics of them and their friends with the coat on. I think she finally realized the only way to get away from the coat was to move. So she went and got married in the summer of 2012 and the tormenting her by the coat ceased. I had to promise on my life NOT TO HAVE THE COAT SHOW UP AT HER WEDDING. I was a good momand honored my promise.