Shaking Things Up - a Column by Mary Beth Skylis

First in a series. Earlier in January, I wrote about Bryan Roberts, a member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation Patient Council, and the ways he manages his Parkinson’s disease while traveling. This week, I’ll share part of an email conversation I had with Rachel Dolhun, the…

Air travel is hard, even if you do it frequently. You have to navigate busy places, make it past security, and then cram yourself into an airplane like a sardine in a can — and that’s all before you ever make it to your destination. After my family traveled to…

My dad has always been my superhero. When I was a child, he was the person who would rush home with pizza, sugary drinks, and laughter to break the tension of the day. As I grew older and began navigating the complexities of high school, I knew I could pour…

While boarding a recent flight, I noticed a man a few paces ahead of me in line. He looked to be in his 60s, with sun-worn skin and wrinkles framing his eyes. He wore a worried look on his face while watching the airport screen. I couldn’t help but observe…

Technology can be challenging to navigate, even for someone like me who grew up as it emerged. However, I’ll be the first to admit that it typically makes my life better. Back in the early 2000s, my dad, who has Parkinson’s disease, kept track of all his appointments using…

Over the past few years, I’ve seen a lot of my friends go through the heartbreak of losing a parent. In most cases, the loss was sudden, like a lightning flash in the darkness. There was little buildup. There was no warning sign. One day their parent was alive, and…

I recently saw a social media post from a friend who’d lost her dad. It turns out that her dad and mine shared a birthday, but her dad was six years younger. The post left me puzzled. How was it that my friend was clutching a hole in her chest…

For many, retirement is like a golden ticket promising a life with fewer problems: less worry, less work, less financial strain. You just have to make it to age 66, or whatever age you’re ready to make the shift. It’s supposed to bring relaxation, time off, and the eternal vacation…

My time with my dad is limited by geographical distance: He lives in Michigan while I live in Colorado. When I go home to see him, the Parkinson’s decline seems more obvious to me than it might to those who are with him every day. So when I find…

Throughout my dad’s Parkinson’s disease journey, I’ve learned a lot about his symptoms. They include facial masking, which can make it difficult for those around him to fully understand his emotional experience. Up until this week, however, I’d never heard that he might have a hard time interpreting…