The Bright Side - a Column by Jamie Askari

Almost every night during the warmer months, my husband, Arman, and I take a leisurely walk through our small neighborhood. It comprises just one street, and we have calculated that five laps around equals just over a mile. Since we both sit inside our house for hours, working all day,…

When a diagnosis is made, life goes on. You walk out of your doctor’s office in a fog, wondering if this is a nightmare you’re about to wake up from. You slowly wander into the crowded elevator and can barely muster the strength to push the buttons. You somehow manage…

My husband, Arman, who has early-onset Parkinson’s disease, and I don’t get to the movies very often. Instead, we prefer to wait and stream films from the comfort of home. But when the movie “Wicked” was released in theaters in November 2024, there was no way our small TV…

Parkinson’s disease is an illness that slowly progresses every day. Symptoms change, medication side effects vary, falls happen, and there is always an element of the unknown. Because of this, caring for a person with Parkinson’s also changes every day. As soon as I think I have…

After a long day of juggling work and caregiving, I love to relax and unwind with a cozy blanket, curling up on the couch. My husband and I enjoy watching all kinds of TV shows, and this is our time for it. We laugh out loud as we enjoy silly…

You’re probably familiar with the saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” This usually refers to leaving things alone if they are working smoothly or going well. Essentially, don’t rock the boat. (Anyone remember that song?) I recently heard a conference speaker say something that sounded similar but turned…

Some exciting changes have happened in terms of Parkinson’s medications since my husband, Arman, was diagnosed with the disease in 2009. At that time, options for long-acting or extended-release levodopa and carbidopa were limited. Over the past decade, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved several extended-release…

This winter, my husband, Arman, and I finally took a long-awaited trip to Los Angeles to visit our children. We had planned to visit them back in August, but a Parkinson’s-related fall deterred our plans. Since we canceled the trip in August, I’ve been anxiously awaiting this visit. My…

The other day, I was thumbing through a few dated and crinkled copies of Good Housekeeping while waiting for a medical appointment, trying to relax. I tried to view the wasted time as an unexpected break from life, only to realize that I might be late for a meeting scheduled…

One of my dearest friends, Jen, became a caregiver to her mom while she was barely more than a child herself. Over the many years of our friendship, I’ve gradually uncovered the pieces of her journey as a caregiver. Growing up, Jen’s family included herself, her mother, her twin brother,…