Guest Voice

Fifteen years have passed since my husband, Eli, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He first noticed his cramped handwriting had become illegible, but after that, he didn’t experience much change for a long time. With each passing year, however, additional symptoms cropped up. Now he is compromised in almost…

Dating and Parkinson’s sounds a bit like an oxymoron, right? Yet there I was, at 45, trying to do exactly that. Forget that my life was already complicated by the fact that I was not only single, but an only parent of two young girls, each navigating their own challenges…

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 at the age of 55, after my wife noticed a tremor in my left hand. Like many people, I left my doctor’s appointment with more questions than answers. My instinct was to try to maintain a sense of normalcy by following…

One evening, as I was lying in bed reading a novel, I watched my husband, Dave, out of the corner of my eye. Once again, he was having trouble getting out of bed. He couldn’t pull himself up far enough to swing his legs over the side so he could…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with levodopa. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I live my life in borrowed moments. These are times when my body works, my mind is clear, and I can almost…

Editor’s note: This column includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. Internationally, find a suicide prevention helpline…

This article was provided by our partner, PMD Alliance. It has been reviewed by Bionews for accuracy and relevance. The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bionews or Parkinson’s News Today. When I joined the Parkinson &…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Receiving a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease at age 45 in March 2010 marked the beginning of…

I’ve heard that the first child in a nuclear family, particularly the first daughter, often assumes a de facto third-parent role. I imagine this doesn’t mean the child actually parents a parent or is equipped to handle the kinds of difficult conversations that parents have between themselves, and for good…

Rosalba Mancuso is a bilingual freelance journalist based in Sicily. Writing in English and Italian, she has contributed to national magazines and newspapers for over 30 years, as well as international publications. She also dedicates her writing to spreading awareness about living with Parkinson’s disease. Getting Parkinson’s is not…