Christine Scheer was diagnosed in 2015, at the age of 54, with Parkinson’s disease. She is a retired chef who lives on a farm with her husband, John, in London, Ontario, Canada. She firmly believes in the power of exercise to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s. Her hope for her column, “Living My Best Life,” is that she can get conversations started and raise awareness by engaging those in the PD community and beyond.
I’m fortunate to have two daughters who are my pride and joy. We get along extremely well, and they’ve always been supportive of me, especially during my Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2015. After I had deep brain stimulation…
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Have you ever had to run for your life? I have — a couple of times. I attend a spin class every Thursday morning at our local Y. Although the class isn’t explicitly designed for people with…
I’ve been thinking about food a lot lately. This makes sense because I worked as a chef, a farmers market manager, a food columnist, and a community food adviser for most of my adult life. Food was my job,…
When I was in college, I worked as a waitress. One of the things I found remarkable was that I could go to work grumpy and leave happy. Was it because my co-workers were so fun? (They were.) Was…
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, I had been living the dream. I had two lovely daughters, a wonderful and supportive husband, a terrific extended family, and many good friends. I loved my job; I…
Stand up straight! Speak up! Pick up your feet! Sound familiar to anyone? I thought so. People with Parkinson’s disease often struggle to stand up straight or speak loudly and clearly, and we often shuffle our…
“Challenge yourself!” a fitness instructor once said to me. It was some of the best fitness advice I’ve ever received. In fact, it will be my mantra for 2024. In 2015, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Six…
The warm and comforting scents of Christmas infuse my memories. Yes, these smells are only memories since Parkinson’s disease snuck into my life and took away my sense of smell, like the Grinch that stole Christmas. It…
The winter of 2022 was spectacular here in southwestern Ontario. It was cold enough for our pond to freeze for the first time in many years. Most weekends were sunny and icy cold, and our extended family and friends…
In 1991, my husband, John, and I got married, quit our jobs, and cycled around the world for a year. John was an engineer and I was a chef, and we had friends who’d traveled to Australia and Asia…
“How could I be so stupid?” I was berating myself for buying a ridiculous book that promised to cure Parkinson’s disease. The book was one of the first purchases I made in a long line of failed attempts…
Every Tuesday afternoon you can see us. We might be outside at the park or, if there’s inclement weather, inside at the mall. Sometimes there are only two of us; other times, there are up to 12. It’s our…
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