Columns

In third grade, I learned to write cursive. I loved — no — adored my teacher, Mrs. Nigerian. She was short, petite, dark-haired, and so very kind. She even had me over after school a few times, and I helped her make a cake for her husband one…

Today it is raining here in Oregon, the state where many believe it rains all the time. But you know what’s good about so much rain? Everything stays green. All year. Sometimes, I know, it can seem depressing (and it is for some). But not today. Today it’s…

Everywhere you turn these days there is so much negativity. It’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that there are some encouraging stories out there. These are stories of people who have fought fear while battling their diseases and are winning the battle. People who have…

Every once in a while I watch an old episode of “House.” The television show is about a cynical, genius doctor (Dr. House) who mentors three other physicians. They all work closely with one another as a team to solve the most complex of cases. The last…

My body does not feel right. What am I going to do about it? What has happened to me? My quality of life was deteriorating due to my neurological issues. Along with poor fine motor skills on my left side and slowness of movement, I was constantly fatigued. This…

Parkinson’s disease. I live so near to it that sometimes writing about it feels like living through it all over again. But if people didn’t share their stories, there would be no empathy on this journey called Parkinson’s disease to help us through the struggles. The other day,…

Necrophobia: The fear of death or dead things. Thanatophobia: The fear of dying. Everyone, at some point in their lives, thinks about death and gets a little nervous, if not downright scared. It may not be death that people fear so much as the prologue of suffering they…

Many people aren’t aware of how wide the range of Parkinson’s disease symptoms is. For example, looking at the motor symptoms alone, a patient can have any, or all, of the following: tremors, muscle rigidity, and difficulty walking. One symptom that is not common knowledge outside of the…

It feels like I have no purpose. Ideas climb inside my head and instead of taking root so that I can grasp them and hold them captive in hopes of putting pen to paper, they disappear like dead leaves lying on the ground; crisp, full of beauty,…

My grandson fights naps. Or, I guess I should say he used to. My other grandson loved his naps and bedtime so much he would ask if it was naptime or bedtime yet. And needless to say, they both awoke happy and rested. When my grandson awakens from…