JAMESVILLE, Va. (WAVY) — If you’re ever in this secluded part of the Eastern Shore, dense with tall pines just a hundred yards from the Chesapeake Bay, you might just hear the sound of gunshots.
Ken Stolle is in the middle of target practice with his .22 caliber rifle.
For those who cling to stereotypes about people living with Parkinson’s — the sight of a patient holding a rifle might be disarming. But Stolle’s condition is hardly apparent here outside his home on the Eastern Shore.
But when we go inside and sit down in the living room his legs are in almost constant motion.
“My feet and legs shake a little bit now, but my hands still don’t shake,” Stolle said.
It’s been about 18 years since a doctor gave him a chilling diagnosis.
“I’d probably only have 10 years to live, maybe 15 years. That’s probably 18 years ago now.”
First a city cop, then an attorney, then state senator, and then 12 years as Virginia Beach Sheriff. For Stolle, Parkinson’s is a condition, but not an identity, and he cautions others not to paint with a broad brush.
“If you know one person who’s had Parkinson’s, you know one person that’s had Parkinson’s,” Stolle said. “Everybody is a little bit different.”
In fact, every part of the day is a little different for Stolle.
“If I get a good night’s sleep, I’m fine,” Stolle said. “I can do whatever I want to do. By the evening when I’m worn down, my speech becomes very soft and stuff like that. And so, you have to deal with that.”
Stolle takes several medications, some to deal with side effects from the other medications.
“I probably take about 10 medications a day, all for Parkinson’s related issues.”
But no cure doesn’t mean no hope. On that journey, his wife rides shotgun loaded with tough love.
“She’s the real saint in this whole thing,” Stolle said. “I’m blessed to have her as a wife, and I really appreciate everything she does. But she can be a real hard-ass when she wants to.”
Back outside, Stolle squeezes off four more shots.
“I have the ability when I hunt to freeze myself and take the shot,” he said.
As he waits for a cure, determination will have to pull him through.
“I’m not ever going to give up the fight,” he said. “I may not be able to wage it as hard as I have in the past. The day I give up the fight is the day I die.”
Stolle retrieves the target from a pine tree some 70 yards away. Three in the red, one a perfect bullseye.
