Columns

My birthday is this month, and I’m turning 49. I’m not doing anything particularly exciting to celebrate, just dinner with some friends and my husband. Low-key birthdays are fine by me, but it is a big deal to be entering the last year of my 40s. I started this decade…

I’m training for a 5K race in June. The training plan is taped onto the fridge door, and I’m following it to a T. Except for the part where it says “run” — that’s where I alternate walking and running for one minute each. This method makes a 5K totally…

Before Parkinson’s disease, my late uncle Brandon was always on the move. He always needed something to do, especially on weekends. If he wasn’t planning a hunting trip, he was outside grilling ribs, sausage, or brisket and inviting neighbors over without a second thought. The house was rarely quiet.

Parkinson’s disease is an illness that slowly progresses every day. Symptoms change, medication side effects vary, falls happen, and there is always an element of the unknown. Because of this, caring for a person with Parkinson’s also changes every day. As soon as I think I have…

A vanity isn’t just for the vain. If any of you are like me and watch a lot of home improvement shows, you probably have some bathroom envy. My house was built in the 1970s, and our primary bathroom is definitely a “before,” not an “after,” when it comes to…

Connecticut-based Steve Yellen was a weekend athlete before he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease seven years ago. He first noticed a tremor in his left hand. Then he saw a neurologist, who confirmed the diagnosis. Instead of succumbing to apathy, Yellen decided to do everything in his power…

One of the toughest things about caregiving wasn’t always the words themselves. It was figuring out how to say them. As my uncle Brandon’s Parkinson’s disease progressed, there were certain conversations we couldn’t avoid. One of the biggest was about his mobility and the need for more support. Specifically,…

If you’re a regular reader of this column, you may have noticed I haven’t published anything new in a few weeks. You see, I was sick. I had the flu — the same terrible one that seems to be affecting people all over the country. I always say that having…

When I was in high school and college, I had a summer job as a landscaper. Like a lot of summer jobs, it felt ordinary at the time. There were hot days, grass stains, and long hours as a young guy trying to make money and do the work in…

As I’ve previously mentioned, my late uncle Brandon loved a good “chill and grill.” He didn’t just grill for fun. He could put together a full Texas-style feast that always seemed to appear out of nowhere. As a kid, I used to wonder how he managed to get ribs,…