“There are a whole lot of people who always think ‘that’ can’t happen to me … 'That’ in my case is Parkinson’s disease.”
Those are the words of Scott Rider, a longtime MassMutual financial professional who was diagnosed with the disabling nervous system disease a few years ago. An avid runner and active family man, the news came as a devastating blow. And it drastically changed life for both him and his family.
“Seeing him not be able to do the everyday things is really hard and makes you wonder what life’s going to be,” said Kelly Rider, his wife.
But together, Scott and Kelly are making it through. And they are documenting their journey here, showing the daily support and love they give one another, continually, in the face of the disease.
“My Dad couldn’t do many of his daily tasks if it wasn’t for my Mom,” their daughter, Emma, wrote in an essay. “She has taught me so much about what it means to truly love through sickness and in health. She is now not only a wife, but a caregiver. I’m sure that on their wedding day they weren’t standing in front of the altar thinking that one day my Mom would have to take care of my Dad, their kids, and herself. No one signs up for these kinds of things, but the one thing they could do was prepare.”
Indeed, preparation was one thing that worked in Scott and Kelly’s favor. Rider had secured disability income insurance because, owing to his professional experience, he knew the odds surrounding disability.
One out of four adults reaching working age will suffer a disability at some point in their career, according to the Social Security Administration.1 And disease is responsible for disability about 80 percent of the time, according to the Council for Disability Awareness.2 (Take our disability income insurance quiz)
“Knowing that he had disability income insurance from my standpoint is a piece of security that I really don’t even know how to express,” said Kelly. The support from that protection, she said, allows her to concentrate on Scott’s care.
You can hear more about the Rider's experience here ...
Learn more from MassMutual…
Calculator: How would a disability affect my finances?
Disability facts that may surprise you
Is disability income insurance worth it?
_____________________________________
1 Social Security Administration. Fact Sheet, September, 2020.
2 The Council for Disability Awareness, Disability Statistics, March 28, 2018.