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“People who know me know I’m strong, but I’m vulnerable.” — Catherine Deneuve Oxford Dictionaries define vulnerability as: “The quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.” Recently, I felt a level of extreme vulnerability that I…

My youngest grandson is 4. He loves to do whatever we’re doing, whether it’s cooking with Grandpa, changing the oil in his dad’s truck, or planting seeds in the garden with me, Grammy.  When he comes into the house, he almost immediately climbs onto the bar stool, ready to…

I was reading through some forums for Parkinson’s disease recently and came across one that was talking about stress. I am a fairly calm, even-keeled person who handles stress pretty well. I thought so anyhow. The woman who brought up the topic of stress said she had felt like her…

I have been reading a book by disability advocate Joni Eareckson Tada. One part in particular had me mulling over it for days. In her book, Joni tells a story about a time when her team went to Uganda to deliver wheelchairs to those in need. A man named…

Over the many years of living with a chronic illness, I have seen many healthcare providers. Some were good and others not so good. If I walked away from a meeting with a provider feeling like I hadn’t been heard and wanting to shout, “Can you hear me…

I don’t remember when I started measuring my life in increments of time. But I feel the seconds slipping through my fingers. I think about using quantum mechanics to split myself in two so that I can be at sea and with my parents at the same time. Why…

Two words are often confused with each other in the English language: empathy and apathy. Not only are their meanings different, but they are also quite at opposition with each other. Both terms, however, can relate to Parkinson’s disease. Empathy deals with being able to understand the thoughts…

“Don’t forget you’re human. It’s OK to have a meltdown, just don’t unpack and live there. Cry it out and then refocus on where you are headed.” —Unknown I tend to have meltdowns more frequently these days. Why is this happening? My losses from this disease seem to be…

I will never again underestimate the strength of a McDonald’s paper cup — or my Rock Steady Boxing class. The other day, I took my grandson to his favorite playground: McDonald’s. A friend was meeting us there with her grandson. By the time she arrived, the place was…

I thought that when I retired, I would have more time, not less. How did life get so busy? There are not enough hours in the week to finish all the things I want to. If I push myself harder and longer, then I get fatigued and overwhelmed, but then…