Caregiving Unfiltered – a Column by Crystal Onyema

“Will I be able to drive?” Of all the questions my uncle Brandon could’ve asked after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, that was one of the first. If you knew Uncle Brandon, though, it probably wouldn’t have surprised you. This was not a man interested in becoming anybody’s passenger…

There are few sounds more frightening during a Texas summer than an air conditioner suddenly going silent. Temperatures were climbing past 100 degrees, the house was getting warmer by the minute, and my family was becoming increasingly unnerved. We called a few air-conditioning companies, but between the heat wave and…

While my family and I discussed medication schedules, doctor appointments, and what foods might work best with my uncle Brandon’s Parkinson’s disease, he sometimes had a much more pressing question: “What’s for breakfast?” Usually, the question came with a smirk and his famous cackle, as if to remind us…

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,…