Columns

When you’re young, you think you have it all figured out. The future is limitless. I was no exception. My life was moving right along when, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s, and my husband and I found ourselves on a different journey,…

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times …” —Charles Dickens The worst of times Currently, my retirement community is on lockdown and was one of the first places in my county in Long Island, New York, where COVID-19 cases were reported. Eight residents have since…

When news of the coronavirus was first surfacing, many of us wanted to stick our head in a bucket and ignore the possibilities ahead. Soon after the worrisome news that things were not going to get better any time soon, we pulled our heads out of the bucket…

Sellers tore up the contract for our bid on a new home in Illinois. They wanted to accept a “better offer.” My wife and I are now homeless. Well, almost. We have a committed sale of the home we are in and we had started thinking of the Illinois place…

Many symptoms are representative of Parkinson’s disease, the more widely known being external tremors and an unusual gait — or “walking funny,” as some might say. There is one other less visible symptom that can be connected to having the disease: loneliness. Loneliness can be a shortcut to depression.

If you’re in the same boat as my dad, chances are that your gym is on lockdown. Dad was disappointed to hear that Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) is pausing operations during the global coronavirus pandemic. But he also recognized that it’s the safest move. This global quarantine is really…

Today’s news is yesterday’s news, and I am sick of yesterday’s news. I am more disturbed by the news now than I was five minutes ago. Let me clarify.  This news — specifically about the coronavirus — didn’t affect me as much before. I have been living in a…

My chronic disease has forced me to stay home for a week after an exhausting recent trip to St. Louis. When my symptoms force me to curtail engagement outside the home, I become a “shut-in.” Many are entering voluntary home confinement due to COVID-19. People also are experiencing mandatory…

Travel beyond our homes is eerie right now with the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic. We feel as if we’re living a dystopian sci-fi film, with people in masks and gloves waving apocalyptic messages from the World Health Organization and U.S. federal and state governments. My immune system isn’t like…

This December marked the fifth anniversary of my diagnosis with Parkinson’s disease. Technically, I am still in the honeymoon phase — the first three to eight years of the Parkinson’s journey. Life is still pretty normal. Then again, what is normal? Normal now consists of inconvenient symptoms including tremors, low blood…