Watching my father’s Parkinson’s progression with anticipatory grief
Over the past few years, I’ve seen a lot of my friends go through the heartbreak of losing a parent. In most cases, the loss was sudden, like a lightning flash in the darkness.
Shaking Things Up
— Mary Beth Skylis
Mary Beth Skylis (she/her) lives in Colorado, where she works as a full-time freelance writer. As a columnist for Backpacker Magazine and Women’s Health, she spends most of her time learning about the latest developments in the outdoor and health industries. When her dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, she began conducting research and looking for ways to share her journey. Joining Bionews was the result. Now she works as a forum moderator and continues to share monthly musings about life with Parkinson’s disease.
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I find myself wishing Dad would fight harder against Parkinson’s
My time with my dad is limited by geographical distance: He lives in Michigan while I live in Colorado. When I go home to see him, the Parkinson’s decline seems more obvious to…
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Anticipating the guilt I might feel when my parents die
I recently saw a social media post from a friend who’d lost her dad. It turns out that her dad and mine shared a birthday, but her dad was six years younger. The post…
Does the adjustment to retirement worsen Parkinson’s symptoms?
For many, retirement is like a golden ticket promising a life with fewer problems: less worry, less work, less financial strain. You just have to make it to age 66, or whatever age you’re…
Identifying emotions can be a struggle for people with Parkinson’s
Throughout my dad’s Parkinson’s disease journey, I’ve learned a lot about his symptoms. They include facial masking, which can make it difficult for those around him to fully understand his emotional experience.
Was loss of smell one of Dad’s first Parkinson’s symptoms?
Many years ago, my dad began to lose his sense of smell. A doctor told him that it was likely because of his nasal polyps — small, noncancerous growths that can be…
Wedding planning shed light on my mom’s caregiving responsibilities
My sister is getting married this year. We’re all in a tizzy about it, updating our passports and getting excited about traveling to a wedding we weren’t sure would ever come. Having more reasons…
If you could live your life again, what would you do differently?
While walking through the soggy streets of Belfast, Northern Ireland, I saw an excerpt of a poem by American humorist Don Herold. It read: “If I had my life to live over, I’d…
Traveling abroad with Parkinson’s disease requires much planning
I don’t know about you, but I’m still having a hard time believing it’s 2025. I know we’re three months in already, but I still feel like we just unwrapped Christmas presents and embraced…
How will future generations view DBS for Parkinson’s disease?
Sometimes I think about the odd medical practices that were used hundreds of years ago to treat illnesses and how those strategies compare with today’s practices. In the 19th century, milk transfusions were…
How my dad’s facing rigidity in Parkinson’s disease
One of the more challenging Parkinson’s disease symptoms that my dad navigates is stiffness or rigidity, which makes the mornings hard on him. He does his morning stretches to counteract the problem, but…
The importance of holding on to hope
A few months ago, my mom called me up and asked if I’d be willing to take her and my dad to a holy site in France after my sister’s wedding. Every year, about…
Could my dad, who has Parkinson’s, be deficient in magnesium?
I recently discovered that I, like 10% to 30% of the human population, am deficient in magnesium. The mineral plays a key role in supporting nerve and muscle function, the immune system,…
Is Dad’s recent weight loss a result of Parkinson’s disease?
“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…
3 positive coping skills that might help Parkinson’s patients
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…
Losing a friend made Dad face his own mortality
“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…
