Columns

There is a question circulating once again in the Parkinson’s forums and Facebook groups. “What do you wish you had known when you were first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?” This cycle of inquiry seems to repeat itself about once every six months.  It’s almost like, by asking that question,…

A sign hangs above my desk with only one word on it: “Simplify.” The sign isn’t fancy by any means. But it does make me stop to ponder what that small word means to me. And it must have made an impression for me to fork out $3 to buy…

A few weeks ago, I impulsively purchased a book of “Joy Notes” at a restaurant gift shop. The purpose of the book is to tear out the notes and share them with someone who needs them. Here is one I am sharing with all of you: “God turns…

The Parkinson’s News Today Forums are designed to create a safe environment for those impacted by the disease. Whether we are discussing our lifestyles or looking for ways to connect, technology offers new platforms to help us explore our uncertainty. Caregivers, physicians, and patients alike have the opportunity to…

I recently read that Parkinson’s disease affects an estimated 1 in 100 people over age 60. When I started my Parkinson’s journey, I was in high school. I didn’t know that what was happening to me was something known as Parkinson’s disease. I didn’t even know what Parkinson’s…

I hate facing the effort it takes to start daily exercise. I hate the way I feel the next day — like I have been pummeled with nunchuks. But ever since my Marine Corps training I have enjoyed the benefits of exercise. I know it is hard to get…

In the same way a wildfire can take your breath away, so can a flower. Especially if it’s standing amid charred, blackened earth. Once there stood tall majestic black oaks, madrone, manzanita, and pine trees. Now there remains only ghostly profiles of those trees, their leaves and bark burned bare.

I was doing OK until I read the title of a webinar: “Navigating the New Normal.” Then it hit me — there is no normal. As they say, normal is just a setting on your clothes dryer. There is no normal in disease, and there is no normal in life.

Sirens, flashing red and blue hazard lights, and Dr. C slumped in a gray felt recliner with the pallor to match. A greatly worried Neo (the neocortex of Dr. C’s brain mentioned in previous columns) exclaims, “What is going on here?” Mrs. Dr. C pokes her head out from around…

Stuart Scott, ESPN’s beloved late sportscaster, once said, “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” I say you beat Parkinson’s disease the same way: by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.