Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but never got around to doing it? For me, that thing was pottery. I believed it was something I could master, and that it’d fill a creative void in me. I took my first pottery course about 20 years ago with my…
Living My Best Life — Christine Scheer
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.
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I had deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson’s disease in August 2021. I felt it was the best choice for me at that stage of the disease. My tremors were barely controlled by round-the-clock frequent doses of levodopa, and I was exhausted. Parkinson’s News Today describes…
Last in a series. Read parts one and two. Before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, I used to love getting in front of people to talk to them, usually about food, farming, or buying locally. I found it thrilling. I felt confident and intelligent…
Second in a series. Read part one. Every Tuesday I go on a walk with my Parkinson’s buddies. I started this “walk ‘n’ talk” group after my deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery in 2021. I like talking about Parkinson’s, and usually I ask the other walkers questions…
First in a series. I recently heard a rumor that I wasn’t doing very well. An old friend dropped by and spoke to my husband, John. The friend said he’d heard from someone else that my health was failing. Near death, by the sound of it. Communication can be tricky,…
In the fall of 1986, I worked as a chef at the Black Swan Café in London, Ontario, Canada. The café was on Richmond Street, one of the city’s busier streets for restaurants and retail. We were excited because Rick Hansen’s Man in Motion World Tour would be coming…
In 2015, during the early days of my Parkinson’s diagnosis, everything was a blur and I didn’t know where to turn. I had just started seeing a new physiotherapist whom I immediately liked and began to forge a connection with. One day, she said to me, “If you…
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015, I didn’t know anyone else with the disease. Then I joined Rock Steady Boxing, a program designed specifically for those of us with Parkinson’s. I’d found my people! I had read about the program and its benefits, but…
It’s that time of year again: time for our annual Walk for Parkinson’s. I hate asking people for money, even for such a worthwhile cause as our local Parkinson’s Society here in Ontario, Canada. Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2015, however, I’ve felt the cause…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. It’s been three years since I had deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson’s disease,…
We’re going to be grandparents! My husband, John, and I couldn’t be more excited. Grandma, Nanny, Grannie, or Gram — I don’t care what this baby calls me. I look forward to the (hopefully) beautiful relationship I envision with this child. I hope to be a source of love, cuddles,…
I visited my family doctor several months ago regarding some issues related to being a woman “of a certain age” on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Did you know that estrogen is neuroprotective? I’d initially begun HRT to control debilitating hot flashes, but the bonus was that my brain…
For the past couple weeks, I’ve had the post-holiday blues. I’ve also been training for a 5K road race in June. Both of these things have left me exhausted. All I can think about is when I’ll be able to take a nap or go to bed, or whether or…
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