Caregiving Unfiltered
— Crystal Onyema

One afternoon, my late uncle Brandon came inside after spending some time outdoors, and something immediately felt different. Normally, he’d head straight for the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water before settling into his chair. That afternoon, though, he rounded the corner into the hallway and … stopped. He…

When my uncle Brandon came home one time from a Parkinson’s appointment, he was quieter than usual. The news wasn’t what we had hoped for. His symptoms had gotten worse, and, even though he rarely complained, our family could tell it had been a tough day. He sat…

The fishing aisle at Bass Pro Shops was the last place I expected to leave with a memory I’ll never forget. My Uncle Brandon and I were getting ready for one of his favorite escapes: a fishing trip. Long before Parkinson’s disease entered our lives, fishing was one of…

“I’m trying to shake it and not break it.” That was Uncle Brandon’s line. If his hands shook while he carried a plate, he would grin, say those nine words in his deep, gravelly voice, and then let out a cackle that filled the whole house. If he dropped his…

Every family has its own way of showing encouragement. Mine definitely did. When someone in our crew cocoon did something hard, we celebrated. We told them we were proud, noticed their progress, and reminded them of how far they’d come. So when Uncle Brandon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease,…

There are few things more humbling than confidently giving someone credit for a job they didn’t do. That’s what happened to my family when an Ikea table suddenly showed up, fully assembled, in my aunt’s living room. Naturally, we assumed one of my cousins had put it together while everyone…

As my late Uncle Brandon’s Parkinson’s disease progressed, my family became increasingly involved in helping him navigate appointments, medications, physical therapy, and everyday life. But somewhere along the way, we started making mistakes. At times, we began talking about Uncle Brandon more than we talked to him. At first,…

Throughout my late uncle Brandon’s journey with Parkinson’s disease, my family made sure he kept up with his physical therapy. At one point, we started seeing progress. His balance seemed a little better. His confidence had improved. And he was buying into the process more than he had in…

If Parkinson’s disease had one ally in our household, it was my late uncle Brandon’s ability to avoid doing his home exercises. As I’ve mentioned before, Uncle Brandon was proud. He liked to stay busy, solve problems, and do things his way. Even as his Parkinson’s worsened, he wouldn’t…