Columns

Ashen faces stare forward, their lifeless eyes fixated on the pine box before them. Some weep, while others watch with blank expressions void of emotion. Both represent the grief that hangs heavy in the room. Death does not hold the rights to grief.  Some might say that grief…

In a classroom far, far, away, in a virtual world called Zoom, there was a teacher named Lori. She and her class of Parkinson’s disease warriors were about to embark on a journey they never could have imagined. The virtual world of Zoom Like the…

As a Parkinson’s disease patient, dismay and anxiety are all too common in my life. One day, though, these negative feelings threatened to overwhelm me.  The bike crash My late husband always said there are two types of bikers: those who have crashed and those who…

I sit at my desk in the window watching as cottonwood trees release their fluffy snowballs of spring. A car passes at a snail’s pace, yet fast enough to set this phenomenon into motion like a soft, harmless tornado dancing in circles. It reminds me how Winnie the Pooh…

“Be one with the moment.” Hogwash! I can’t be one with the darkness. Yet, I do understand the power of the darkness for shaping my behaviors. I see the darkness as pure survival and protection against possible threats. It is a hyper-focus on self-survival along with unhealed battle wounds…

Neo, the neocortex of Dr. C’s brain mentioned in previous columns, exclaims, “That was amazing, Dr. C, to watch Mrs. Dr. C apply the healing relationship, and poof, you’re all better!” Neo was referring to last week’s column, in which Dr. C emerged from a long period of darkness…

I received my Parkinson’s diagnosis five years ago. I fully intended to attack it head-on, starting with exercise. Parkinson’s is not for wimps. Dancing was an important part of my plan but I needed more. The first step of my plan was to find a personal trainer. I…

The other day, my husband and I were discussing the decisions we’ve made in our lives. We also talked about dreams and goals, and in my case, the dreams and goals I thought I never made. I haven’t usually been one to dream. I’m not sure why. Perhaps I’ve convinced…

“Yuck! It peed all over me,” my granddaughter exclaimed as she released the toad back into the forest. “That’s just his natural defense mechanism,” her father replied. Like the toad, we also have our natural defense mechanisms. They are automatically called upon when a threat is perceived, real or not.

Living with Parkinson’s disease is a daily battle. It can be difficult to navigate the disease on your own, but the right resources can make staying informed a little easier. Since many Parkinson’s patients experience tremors on a regular basis, audiobooks and podcasts may be helpful in lieu of books…