Columns

You’ve just returned home from school. A conference. A training course. And now, what is one of the first questions you might be asked? “Did you learn anything?” or “What did you learn?” I remember coming home from elementary school and being asked by my uncle, “Did you…

In a conference I attended on Parkinson’s disease a few years back, one of the speakers stated, “Hope is medicine.” In many ways, that is so true. Fyodor Dostoevsky said, “To live without hope is to cease to live.” As a Parkinson’s patient, it may be hard to…

I used to wear my heart on my sleeve for all to see … and comment on. Not that I wanted to. Who am I kidding? I still wear my heart on my sleeve for all to see … and comment on. Not that I want to. It…

The Press Democrat published the following question and reply from the “Dear Abby” column just this past week: “I’m a 72-year-old married woman. My husband has atypical Parkinson’s and can no longer talk or walk … I need someone to talk to, to share life with. I…

What is a “Terrific Tuesday”? An opportunity, just like any other day, to look at life optimistically. It sounds more poetic and, for this article, works better than “Mundane Mondays” or “Weird Wednesdays.” Terrific Tuesdays. Days in which to decide to see the positive and not the negative.

Stressed. This is what my thesaurus had to say: “To ‘stress’ is to emphasize.” Emphasize what? The fact that your life is out of control? The fact that you’re not handling things well? Being “under stress” means that these two elements are wearing on you — being…

There are three words in the English language that many people with Parkinson’s disease would rather not hear. Three little words. Three little words that can drive a person crazy. Three little words that can cause a person to feel desperate. Three little words that can destroy because…

Sitting in the neurologist’s office, my questions usually get answered, my fears often get calmed, my symptoms often are addressed. However, I sometimes wonder how my husband feels sitting there, listening in, adding his two cents worth. How does he feel about what he sees happening to me…

Second in a series. Read part one here. In my last column, I shared about grandparenting with Parkinson’s disease. Today, I will give you concrete ways to have a blast with your grandkids (or young kids) without losing your mind or your strength because of Parkinson’s.

You’ll soon be blessed with your first grandchild. The news brings joy to your ears and puts a spring in your step, until you begin to reevaluate: You have Parkinson’s disease. Will you prove to be of no use? Will you be a burden? A bother? Just in…