Columns

“It’s gonna be 40, 60 degrees today.” That was the weather report given this morning by my 3-year-old grandson. Well, he almost got it right. It was supposed to get up into the 80s. We went to Boingo’s, the bouncy house playground, to work out some wiggles and…

There is no way I have Parkinson’s Disease (PD). That river in Egypt (‘Da Nile’) I will never forget the day I heard the words no one ever wants to hear: “You have an incurable, progressive disease.” Although I had two good friends with PD, I never thought we would…

One day, I wrote about grief. It was a good day, and so it was easy to talk about. You can do things like that on good days. You can leave the grief behind and take the joy instead. However, on bad days, as I said in…

The other day, my friend Jeanette shared a Facebook post stating that having Parkinson’s disease had changed her personality, thinking, and decision-making skills. Having Parkinson’s disease causes her anxiety and depression. And besides, she said, she liked her old personality. How true this statement is for people having…

Steven Curtis Chapman said it best: 
”I don’t even wanna breathe right now …I don’t even wanna be right now I don’t wanna think another thought …I don’t wanna feel this pain I feel 
[but] right now, pain is all I’ve got.” It was…

If you’ve flown on an airplane from here to there and the weather was bad and visibility nil, you likely didn’t see much more than a layer of dark, gray clouds. However, every once in a while there is a little hole — a pocket — in which…

Patients with Parkinson’s disease have pet peeves they loathe, treasures they love, and things they want. Following are some of them. Feel free to add to the lists in the comments section below. 10 things Parkinson’s patients loathe: A doctor who obviously couldn’t care less. Trying to do something…

One of my grandson’s favorite things to do when we go for a walk is to follow his shadow or to chase mine. It brings out the giggles in him. One of the hardest things for those who struggle with a chronic illness such as Parkinson’s disease is…

It’s not uncommon for spouses to decide to leave when the other gets sick. I think it could be a matter of “having had it up to here” and then finding out the one you’ve “put up with” for so long now has a condition that will most…

In my last column, “I Have Parkinson’s Disease and This Is How It Affects Me, Part 1,” I shared what having Parkinson’s disease is like, according to those who live with it on a daily basis. This is second in the series.  It’s my body, but I’m…