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The other day, I was skimming through a Facebook forum where a woman shared that her Parkinson’s was progressing. She is approximately in her sixth year. Her disease is beginning to accelerate, and other symptoms are beginning to surface. It saddened me to read that. One day we may feel…

I love gardening. Besides writing, it is what I most enjoy. I have learned so much from digging in the dirt, whether I am planting something into freshly cultivated soil or digging up something that has recently withered away. No matter what task I do on any particular day,…

Some days I just want to throw my arms up in the air and give up. We all have our crosses to bear, and I am no different. Lately, I have been challenged with some additional life stuff in addition to dealing with a progressive, incurable disease called Parkinson’s.

When we’re told we have Parkinson’s disease, we’re often taken by surprise. Sure, we may have known that something wasn’t right inside our earthly shell, but we didn’t want to face the possibilities of what it might be. So, sometimes we’ll counter a surprise Parkinson’s diagnosis by entering the world…

My Parkinson’s symptoms have gotten worse. Every day has two peak off times that I think of as “horrible.” During peak off periods, I experience the following sequence: First: Pain flares have surges up to levels 7 and 8. It can include 15 different pain locations, but only three…

Scenario: You’re sitting at a red light. The light finally turns green, but before you even have time to step on the gas pedal, the driver behind you lays on their horn, giving you a long, obnoxious blast, scaring you out of your mind. We’ve all experienced it, and we…

A parent’s diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s disease can affect children at at any age, particularly because the diagnosis has a profound impact on the parent. Many of these kids seem to grow up faster than their peers. Some are young enough when a parent is diagnosed that they will…