Posts by: Mary Beth Skylis

Mary Beth Skylis

Mary Beth is a Freelance Writer who specializes in personal narratives. Her work focuses on the outdoors and the transformative powers of nature. But when her Dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2013, her search to understand the disease materialized through language.

November 6, 2019November 1, 2019

Writing About Parkinson’s Disease Is Hard

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

Writing about Parkinson’s disease is a cumbersome game. I’m a journalist in my regular life, so I’m no stranger to telling complicated and emotional stories. But my lens is ... Read more

October 23, 2019October 21, 2019

Muhammad Ali’s Life and Parkinson’s Legacy

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

Dad has always loved films about fighters. There’s an allure to watching an underdog rise to fame. Maybe he’s mesmerized by the strength of characters like Rambo and Muhammad ... Read more

October 2, 2019November 13, 2019

James Parkinson’s Work Paved the Way for Future Research

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

James Parkinson changed the course of medical history when he first described the “Shaking Palsy” in 1817, at a time when little was known about neurological and degenerative diseases. ... Read more

September 25, 2019September 23, 2019

Examining Muscle Weakness and Rigidity in Parkinson’s Disease

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

The sun peeks over the horizon, and before long Dad is up and at it. It’s a boxing day, and he wants to time his medications to optimize control ... Read more

September 11, 2019September 10, 2019

Simple Solutions That Make Living with Parkinson’s a Little Easier

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

Parkinson’s disease introduces challenges into your daily life. Tasks that were once second nature become more complicated when you’re managing symptoms like tremors and dyskinesia. Fortunately, product designers are ... Read more

August 28, 2019August 26, 2019

What Changed After DBS Surgery No. 1

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) can affect both cognitive and motor symptoms in Parkinson’s patients who undergo the surgery. The procedure gives hope to those who are substantially inhibited by ... Read more

August 21, 2019October 2, 2019

Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery No.1 vs. Electro Dad

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

At the top of a Colorado mountain, I realize that my phone has just a single bar of service. I drop to the dusty ground, frantic to contact my ... Read more

July 31, 2019July 29, 2019

Useful Fitness and Informational Resources for Parkinson’s Patients

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

More than 10 million people are living with Parkinson’s disease around the world. While this number seems shocking, it also means that we have a lot of people fighting ... Read more

July 17, 2019July 15, 2019

Inspiring Books About Parkinson’s Disease

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

I’ve always been a bookworm. From a young age, I’d collect stacks of dusty literature at the library and vanish in between the pages. Stories helped me learn about ... Read more

July 3, 2019June 27, 2019

Here’s What I’ve Learned After Looking into Deep Brain Stimulation

Columns, Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

Dad’s dyskinesia is worsening at a startling pace. When he doesn’t take his medications, he’s nearly immobile. And when he does, dyskinesia wreaks havoc on him. At a loss ... Read more

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