Columns

“You can help me or hinder me but you won’t stop me.” I read that quote somewhere this past week. You’ll have to forgive me, or should I say you’ll have to forgive my faulty Parkinson’s memory. It is the culprit that causes me to forget the things I…

I miss the person I was as I dance around the person I am, and I try to figure out who I am becoming. Mine is an ambiguous loss. A loss that’s hard to understand with Parkinson’s disease. It is hard to be on this side of my life.

I initially started this column by writing about my menopause journey and trying to add some levity to it. This was after my friends jokingly “welcomed me to the party.” However, as I continued writing and researching, I realized there may be more to the menopause story when it comes…

Last weekend, I was exploring a South Carolinian swamp when my phone buzzed. It was my dad. “Call me after 2,” the text glowed on my phone. “OK,” I responded. After I’d wiped the swamp juice from my shoes and peeled back my muddy socks, I dialed my dad. Usually…

“It must be borne in mind that most Parkinsonian patients remain mentally alert even as their physical condition becomes severely impaired. At the same time, they are normally extraordinarily self-conscious about their infirmities. … Tremors, speech impediment, walking difficulties, all make one not only impatient with oneself, but also often…

It was a warm afternoon on the last day of March 2020. I was inundated with winged creatures hovering up and over me, fluttering to and fro, and flapping up and down in my backyard. They included everything from ladybird beetles yielding black spots on yellow shields for wings to…

“Dr. C seems better these days, don’t you think?” Neo asks Mrs. Dr. C. Neo is the inner part of Dr. C’s brain that shares his insights on Parkinson’s disease, science, and general well-being. Mrs. Dr. C agrees. “Since we moved to where winter snow doesn’t linger into April, he’s…

You’ve likely seen numerous tips for making your life more organized and easier to navigate. Well, the following are tips I have found that can make life easier if you live with Parkinson’s disease. Begin by making your home safer. Pick up anything off the floor that may be…

Yesterday was not a normal day for me. Yes, I did the regular ol’ stuff the regular ol’ way, but the end result was irregular. I woke up the same way I always did — staring at the ceiling. I sat up as usual and swung my legs over the…

Some days we might feel great. On those days, the physical part of us aligns with the mental part, and the mental part aligns with the emotional part, and everything feels great. But there are also days when things don’t align so well. We might wonder what changes from day…