“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 years later, I had deep brain stimulation surgery. Before I…
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.
Featured Post
A couple of months ago, a fellow boxer from my Parkinson’s boxing program passed away. I didn’t go to his memorial, but he was a well-loved member of the community, and apparently there were many hundreds of people there to celebrate him. A friend and I were musing on…
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 can’t take away my memories, though. One of my favorites goes…
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 would come to our farm for a skating party. When we…
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 the previous year. “Why not?” we thought. It was a fantastic…
“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 to feel better and take control of my life after I…
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 Tuesday walking group for people with Parkinson’s disease. The casual…
Many losses are associated with Parkinson’s disease, some more impactful than others. So far, because of deep brain stimulation (DBS), which I had in 2021, I’ve had more gains than losses in the past couple of years. It’s changed my life for the better in so many ways,…
My husband, John, and I got our cat Rosie from the animal shelter many years ago. She was a muted calico, the smallest and prettiest of all our indoor cats. What a sweetie she was. We called her my daemon, after the animals that were a physical manifestation of a…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with deep brain stimulation. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, I thought deep brain stimulation (DBS) was a last…
When I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015, I was alone. I had an appointment with the neurologist, and I never even considered bringing somebody. My husband, John, was working as a vendor at a farmers market, so I drove straight there after the appointment. He was busy…
My husband, John, was leaning over me and saying, “What happened?” I looked up at him and said, “Why?” What I was trying to say is, “Why did you wake me up?” But I couldn’t get the words out. Then my arms, which hadn’t tremored since my deep brain…
Since my diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2015, my sense of smell has been nonexistent. Overall, I have to say the loss hasn’t bothered me too much, especially when compared with other Parkinson’s symptoms, such as tremor, slowness, and stiffness. The only time it does bother me is…
Explore more columns
Discussion
Discussion
Discussion