Columns

Many years ago, I wrote a food column for our local newspaper. I called it “Cooking with the Seasons” and told people how to grow and cook with food from their gardens. One year, my husband, John, said, “We should try tapping a few maple trees and making our own…

I returned home from the Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., feeling two things at once: encouraged and unsettled. I felt encouraged because I was surrounded by passionate, committed people — advocates, care partners, researchers, clinicians, and people living with Parkinson’s disease — all working or change. I…

Some of the moments that stay with me the most aren’t the big, expected ones. They’re the moments that caught me off guard, when everything felt a little tense, a little uncertain, and then somehow turned into something I ended up laughing about later. One evening, after spending the day…

I recently started seeing a new neurologist after the doctor I’ve had since my Parkinson’s diagnosis moved out of state. This has been a big deal for me; I even devoted a column to how much I’ll miss her. I loved my doc. She saw me through 12-plus…

Women’s History Month, celebrated each March, originated in 1978 when an educational task force in Santa Rosa, California, set out to highlight women’s contributions to society. This month also serves as a time for reflection on persistent issues such as the exclusion of women from textbooks and research. Historically,…

Most people first think of the physical symptoms when they hear about Parkinson’s disease. Tremors, stiffness, slowed movement, and changes in speech are the most common signs. But for many families, there’s another worry. We fear that the person we love might slowly lose the personality that makes them…

This winter, my husband, Arman, and I finally took a long-awaited trip to Los Angeles to visit our children. We had planned to visit them back in August, but a Parkinson’s-related fall deterred our plans. Since we canceled the trip in August, I’ve been anxiously awaiting this visit. My…

Having a chronic illness is exhausting in so many ways. I’ve described Parkinson’s disease as being exhausted physically on a cellular level. It’s not like being tired after running a foot race or sleeping poorly the night before. On a molecular level, it’s like my cells and neurons are…

A few years ago, my husband, John, and I purchased a teardrop trailer. It really is cute. The back opens into an outdoor kitchen; inside, there’s a double bed, a chest of drawers, some great under-the-bed storage, and a teeny-tiny bathroom. It is the perfect trailer for minimalists. We had…

One thing I learned quickly as a caregiver is that much of the work happens where no one else can see it. Most people think of caregiving in clear, visible ways. They imagine helping someone stand, driving to appointments, or handling medications. These supporting acts are important, but…