Jamie Askari is from Cleveland, Ohio, and serves as the managing director of Premier Health Advocates, LLC, a small medical advocacy organization. Her husband, Arman, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2009, at age 38. Jamie and Arman have three grown children. She has named her column “The Bright Side” (actually, her husband named it!) because of their positive attitude regarding Parkinson’s and all aspects of their lives.
When my three kids were small, I was a bit overprotective. My in-laws used to laugh about how my husband, Arman, and I kept a legal pad in our firstborn’s nursery to track her…
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I thought I was prepared for an emergency — until I found myself in an emergency situation and realized how unprepared I actually was. When I started writing this column, I was sitting…
Was it really Parkinson’s disease? What else could these symptoms be? Could there have been some mistake? Is this just a crazy dream that I’ll wake up from? What will the future look…
Living with an incurable neurodegenerative disease can be discouraging and frustrating. While I am thankful for medications and surgeries that provide some symptom relief and control, they have limitations. And sometimes, the side effects…
As of yesterday, my husband, Arman, and I have been married for 30 years, or 10,957 days. Happy anniversary to us! We celebrated with a rare dinner out, just the two of us. Our…
I love music; I always have. I grew up with hippie parents, and my dad always blasted rock ’n’ roll on his turntable through large, black speakers. He loved classic rock, so we kids…
As we headed to bed last night, it was storming loudly, with hail and terrible wind. Lightning flashed in the windows, and the rain came down all night long. When we awoke in the…
It was a cold, gray, rainy Saturday in Cleveland. My husband, Arman, and I would typically spend this kind of day relaxing at home, reading, renting a movie, or binge-watching a series while I…
I was only 25 years old when I learned that I was going to be a mother. Although I still felt somewhat like a child myself, I couldn’t wait to become a mommy. I…
My family was feeling very helpless and alone after my husband, Arman, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease in 2009. He was only 38 years old then, and we were left floundering for…
When I think about the word “learning,” it conjures up vivid memories of my school days. I can picture myself riding a bright yellow school bus and covering my textbooks with folded-up brown paper…
“Yes, I’m bein’ followed by a moonshadow/ Moonshadow, moonshadow/ Leapin’ and hoppin’ on a moonshadow/ Moonshadow, moonshadow.” — Cat Stevens If I had to choose only one musician to listen to for the rest…
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