“Morning, Mary Beth. Have you heard anything about weight loss and Parkinson’s?” my dad texts me one day. “From what I’ve read in the Parkinson’s News Today Forums, it seems like a mixed bag,” I respond.
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Degeneration is painful to witness, but even more painful to experience. The tasks one might previously have been able to tackle become difficult or impossible. It’s not uncommon for those with a degenerative disease like Parkinson’s to experience…
“Jim Rice was a nice guy,” Dad told me one afternoon late last summer. “He walked into my office when I was at Century 21. He didn’t know who I was, but he asked me right away if I…
Every time I step foot in a new country, I dive into the local culture to try to intimately understand the region. I compare and contrast it with the U.S., where I’m from, in an effort to expand my…
Self-care sometimes gets a reputation for being a woo-woo practice — something that’s unconventional and has little scientific data to back it up. But the body of scientific evidence showing that self-care practices can have an impact…
When my parents moved into their current house about 10 years ago, one thing they quickly learned about the property was that the previous owner had Parkinson’s disease. From what they understood, the man took his last…
My dad, who has Parkinson’s disease, has experienced some weight loss recently. I have theories about that. I think it’s partly because of his Parkinson’s tremors, which not only increase his energy output, but also make it…
The sun peeked through the window at 8 a.m. on a weekday morning, and I found myself wanting to shut the world out. The day before, I’d hiked 12 miles through the Rocky Mountains with a friend, and my…
I was texting with my dad a few weeks ago when he told me something that stopped me in my tracks: He had his first fall. I often live in a state of denial when it comes to my…
I’m on the phone with a technology expert from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department — the biggest sheriff’s department in the world — when the idea strikes me: Dad could use an…
“Hi, Mom,” I say after hitting the green button on my phone. “How are you?” “Hi, honey. I’m doing well,” she responds. It’s an early Sunday afternoon and she sounds chipper. We don’t connect often, so I’m grateful to…
Years ago, my dad realized that acute stress made his Parkinson’s symptoms worse. He was more inclined to freeze or experience exacerbated tremors, especially if he was full of anxiety. This revelation led him to focus…
Snow is falling from the sky in tufts here in the Colorado mountains as I write this. Christmas is on my brain. It’s the time of year when my sister and I book flights back to Michigan and brainstorm…
After my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, one of the most frightening parts for me was learning about the later stages of the disease. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease, and it’s hard to think about…
“Let’s play a game,” my sister, Anne Marie, suggested one balmy summer evening. Our entire family had congregated in Northern Michigan for a weeklong vacation, and we were looking to create some fun. Anne Marie explained the…
I have an autoimmune disease. I’ve known about it for about as long as my dad has known about his Parkinson’s disease. And sometimes it’s striking to see how the treatment strategies vary between illnesses. Both diseases…
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