Shaking Things Up
— Mary Beth Skylis

When I was a kid, the world was divided into the haves and the have-nots. The haves never wanted for anything, while the have-nots had to find a way to navigate their lives without the appropriate resources to do…

Drooling is embarrassing. I’ve caught myself spacing out with a trickle of saliva slipping out of my lips before. I can’t help but peer around the room to see if anyone noticed. I know I’m not the only one…

“Wow, look at that walk,” my older sister says with a smile. Dad is making his way across the living room in preparation for his birthday party. His steps are fluid and unbroken. It’s a sight that…

Parkinson’s is an impactful disease that comes with a lot of challenges. As such, it probably isn’t a surprise to most that many Parkinson’s patients struggle with mental health at some point. In fact, up to 40% of…

Living with a chronic illness that isn’t visible to others can be lonely. Friends and loved ones might not understand why you make certain choices, which forces you to justify your actions. If you skip a social outing,…

Many of us experience a natural urge to relate to others to create a greater understanding of our existence. Human connection is widely seen as a vital contributing factor to health and well-being. But its importance is often…

Everywhere you look, it seems, ads and notifications holler about remedies to ailments that people suffer from in the United States. Flip on the television, and it won’t be long before an ad about some medication will invade your…

I’ve heard many stories about Parkinson’s disease changing relationships. Some community members observe personality changes that make their partner feel like a stranger again. Others notice inconsistencies in their loved one’s behavior, such as mood swings and…

When Diana Dunetz’s husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, she didn’t know what to think. First, there was denial. How could something like this happen to her husband? Then there was apathy, and after that, loneliness,…

When the clock struck midnight on March 13, Dad turned into a pumpkin, sprouting vines for ears and orange skin as a protective barrier from the world. That day completed his seventh full decade on the planet, and I…

I’ve always been an analytical person. For as long as I can remember, I’ve catalogued data about my life, creating charts that visually represent how I’m performing at work or whether I’m achieving my fitness goals. I believe this…

When the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, many of us brace for the new year. We want to start fresh, perhaps cultivating better eating and exercise habits. But according to Discover Happy Habits, 36% of people…

Several years ago, my dad decided he was ready for deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure that would implant electrodes into his brain to target common Parkinson’s symptoms like tremors and dyskinesia (involuntary, erratic, writhing movements).

Every year, the holidays sneak up on me, and I’m left scrambling for the perfect Christmas gifts. My dad, who has Parkinson’s disease, is particularly tough to shop for, so I’ve taken to looking for Parkinson’s-friendly gifts…

When my dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013, I didn’t expect the disease to transform my worldview. But it did. Learning about the disease instilled a sense of fear and sadness in me. At…