Biography

I have always been a very active outdoors man, hiking, backpacking, camping, wake boarding and boating with my wife and children. I also enjoyed an amazing career as an aerospace engineer, but in May 2016,  I was stunned to learn that the tremor in my left hand was the beginning of PD (Parkinson’s disease). Soon after, I retired to focus more on my health. I learned quickly that PD is no simple challenge. It took a couple of years to realize that I had to accept my new reality and move on, doing my best to have a good life with what I still had left. I learned that I felt best both physically and emotionally when I was working on some handyman projects, and I felt excited to have a project to challenge me.  When I was working, I actually forgot that I had Parkinson’s disease. At first the projects were small, such as repairing baseboards and touch-up painting in the house. Then the projects became larger and started to expand out to my friends, family, and neighbors. At this point I have had a great time learning new skills and have laid tile and pavers, installed artificial grass, installed windows, repaired roofs, installed drip systems, done plumbing and even welded together a metal framed side yard gate.   During this time,  I was gaining more and more contacts within the PD community until October 2019, when I met two amazing people who have dealt very well with PD, one for 14 years and the other for 7 years. I learned that they had just started a hiking group which they invited me to join. Most Tuesdays and Thursdays you will see some of us hiking the South Mountain trails of Phoenix AZ. One of the leaders of this hiking group recruited ne as a member of the 2020 Phoenix Moving Day planning committee. On days when I am not hiking, I walk six miles a day.  In addition, I do yoga and lift weights every day. During several PD presentations I heard the claim that PD progression can be slowed through exercise, nutrition, and supplements. This possibility gave me some hope that we might have some power over our future, so I am now assisting with some of this data analysis. I am happy to see that we do have some control over this disease and I try to practice what I am learning. It feels good to contribute to this effort to slow the progression of PD for my friends in the PD community and for myself.