Shaking Things Up
— Mary Beth Skylis

While boarding a recent flight, I noticed a man a few paces ahead of me in line. He looked to be in his 60s, with sun-worn skin and wrinkles framing his eyes. He wore a worried look on his face while watching the airport screen. I couldn’t help but observe…

Technology can be challenging to navigate, even for someone like me who grew up as it emerged. However, I’ll be the first to admit that it typically makes my life better. Back in the early 2000s, my dad, who has Parkinson’s disease, kept track of all his appointments using…

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. There was little buildup. There was no warning sign. One day their parent was alive, and…

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 left me puzzled. How was it that my friend was clutching a hole in her chest…

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 ready to make the shift. It’s supposed to bring relaxation, time off, and the eternal vacation…

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 me than it might to those who are with him every day. So when I find…

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. Up until this week, however, I’d never heard that he might have a hard time interpreting…

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 caused by long-term inflammation. These polyps are relatively common, affecting up to 40% of the…

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 to celebrate and come together is a light in the darkness and a refreshing way to…

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 dare to make more mistakes next time. I’d relax; I’d limber up. I would be sillier…

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 our loved ones while surrounded by twinkling lights. As I work to get myself into the…

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 considered to be an adequate replacement for blood transfusions. (While some patients survived the procedure,…

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 it puts a hamper on his groove. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if the stiffness comes…

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 4 million people travel from around the world to the Grotto of Lourdes, located…

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, and strong bones, and it’s commonly found in foods such as green, leafy vegetables, nuts, and coconut…