Columns

My wife and I left our New England home on April 4 and moved into a St. Louis home on the 22nd — a total of 18 days in the dark, cramped quarters of various motel rooms. We have almost 50 years together and communication is one of our strong…

Some parts of the world are only beginning to understand Parkinson’s disease. Often, the general public misidentifies symptoms of the disease, complicating an early diagnosis. While researchers are still attempting to understand the causes of Parkinson’s disease, the symptomatology of it has improved in accuracy since James Parkinson originally identified…

Crazy. That’s what yesterday was. Crazy. And that’s how Parkinson’s can make me feel. Crazy! Today was the first gorgeous spring day of the year. It was clear, blue skies as far as the eye could see. I walked into the kitchen and took a detour, pouring myself a glass…

I miss my support groups, the warm handshakes, and the genuine greeting, “How have you been?” Most of all, I miss hugs from my granddaughters. There is no technology that can replace their healing hugs. We are social beings, and to thrive rather than just survive, we need healing contact…

How will we describe the “Virus of 2020” to future generations? Should we refer to it as the virus that boosted online platforms? An online platform allows people to use the internet and other networked sites like social media to exchange information. Yes, the internet and social media platforms can…

Steam from my hot chocolate fogs my glasses. I almost miss Neo’s opening comment: “How goes the move to St. Louis?” I wipe my glasses. “We had to speed up the whole thing because of the pandemic. Trying to prepare for every possible concern during these unstable times has turned…

It’s April, and we’re halfway through Parkinson’s Awareness Month, an effort designed to focus on education about the disease. There are still regions of the world where Parkinson’s isn’t yet understood. And there aren’t words to describe the disease in some distant corners of the Earth, which makes facing…

Resiliency. It’s not a word you hear too often in relation to Parkinson’s disease. You hear words like courage and strength. But resiliency? Not often. What is resiliency? You might say it is having the ability to bounce back quickly from difficulties. Or having a toughness of character, a…

She was nine years younger than his 37 years of age. Two months into their relationship, a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis was inevitable. She had a decision to make. A choice that would affect the rest of her life. Should she continue seeing him? Invest her life in something that…

If I was a hoarder, I would choose chocolate chip cookies over toilet paper. In a head-to-head match, chocolate chip cookies have many more benefits for coping with the COVID-19 crisis. That soothing smell of a freshly baked cookie can’t be matched by toilet paper, even the scented kind. A…