Columns

Have you ever pondered the question “Who am I?” Personally, I never have. This won’t surprise anyone who knows me, as I’m not the type of person who self-reflects. But I recently started thinking about it as I began researching how identity can change after a Parkinson’s diagnosis.

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, I had been living the dream. I had two lovely daughters, a wonderful and supportive husband, a terrific extended family, and many good friends. I loved my job; I lived on an organic farm, ate healthy local and organic food,…

The sun peeked through the window at 8 a.m. on a weekday morning, and I found myself wanting to shut the world out. The day before, I’d hiked 12 miles through the Rocky Mountains with a friend, and my chronic illness had made it difficult to rebound from the exertion.

I truly love writing my column, “The Bright Side.” It has been a great way to chronicle my experiences as a mother, as well as a wife and caregiver to my husband, who has early-onset Parkinson’s disease. When I was hired by Bionews, the parent company…

When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, one of my fears was that I would have to stop refereeing basketball. The game of basketball has been a big part of my life since childhood. Some of my best memories with my dad were with him coaching my youth teams.

If I had a time machine, I would travel back to 2009. Like Michael J. Fox in “Back To The Future,” I would jump into that silver DeLorean and go! I would go back to when my husband, Arman, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s…

Stand up straight! Speak up! Pick up your feet! Sound familiar to anyone? I thought so. People with Parkinson’s disease often struggle to stand up straight or speak loudly and clearly, and we often shuffle our feet. The crazy thing is I grew up with my mother…

I was texting with my dad a few weeks ago when he told me something that stopped me in my tracks: He had his first fall. I often live in a state of denial when it comes to my dad’s experience with Parkinson’s disease, believing he’ll be an exception…

I’ve never been much of a morning person. I’m usually pretty moody and cranky when I wake up early. Once our kids were old enough to sleep in on the weekends, I’d often enjoy an extended slumber under my own warm covers. Ironically, I’m not much of a night person,…

Every person and family is dealt a deck of cards in their lifetime. Some of them may be in perfect order and the cards in pristine condition without a crease or a bend. Other decks, however, may be worn and weathered, even missing a few cards. We may never know…