How do I start this? What do I say? A few years after I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease, I went to my movement disorder specialist for my routine, three-month checkup. We chatted for a…
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We all want to feel that we have something we can depend on, something we can call “normal” in this fight against Parkinson’s disease. But Parkinson’s is anything but normal. You might have heard that each person with…
When my kids were younger and still in school, I volunteered to be a driver for most of their field trips. One of the most memorable outings was when I took my youngest son and his classmates…
I attend a Rock Steady Boxing class twice a week. Rock Steady Boxing is a program founded in 2006 by Scott Newman, who has Parkinson’s disease, along with his friend, Vince Perez, who does not have Parkinson’s. …
During one of my many moments spent pondering frivolous stuff, I recently was thinking about colors and the emotions they represent. Here is what I came up with. I love the color yellow. It reminds me of walking into…
Last week I had surgery. Little did I know that it would be a great time to advocate for Parkinson’s disease (PD). It began with the registration process two days before my hospital check-in. The hospital’s admittance clerk…
I have had several surgeries in my lifetime but have never fretted over them beforehand. I think that’s because the procedures were all to deal with my Parkinson’s disease, and I explicitly trusted the doctors in each situation. As…
The other day, I filled out a form requesting my name and email address. It also asked me to check a little box. That was it. So I filled out my information and left the little box unchecked. It…
Life can be hard. It is painfully true: Life is so very hard. Not all of us suffer from Parkinson’s disease, but maybe our young child is fighting diabetes. Perhaps a friend is battling cancer. Maybe our spouse is…
I had a pretty good day recently. It was better than I’d had in a long while. I remember thinking that I could forget I had Parkinson’s disease if every day was like that day. But every day isn’t…
I am a strong advocate of forgiveness. Without it, we strike out with vengeance when we’ve been hurt, whether it was intentional or not. We take revenge into our own hands. We become bitter, hateful, critical, and spiteful. Choosing…
Some of us may think we’re a burden when perhaps our issue is pride. We don’t want to be a burden because we’ll think less of ourselves if someone has to care for us. Or, we may think…
Respect for oneself can often be hard to come by. We can see our mistakes and failures. We recognize the missed opportunities to become who we wanted to be, and the times we fell short of our goals. Couple…
I’ve always liked attending different events, such as movies or concerts, or having lunch or coffee with friends. But I don’t get out to socialize much anymore. It’s not that I can’t or don’t want to. I merely…
I’m unsure about how I feel today, but I am certain it’s not me. I am not at my best. Tired and weary, I am running this race against time. I hope I am running it well. We all…
A huge part of bringing in the new year is buying a new calendar, a new journal, a copy of the book you have vowed to read, or a working scale — one that tips in your favor and…
Have you ever heard someone say that Parkinson’s can be blamed for much and many a thing? I have. And why not blame our woes on this disease? It’s taken much and many a thing from us.
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