What’s the best way for people with Parkinson’s to contribute to research? I recently talked about how there are always more questions than answers and how there must be better ways to solve our problems. I highlighted the obvious need to engineer better brain-body communications. I’ve encouraged patients…

“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…

The definition of “caregiver” is different for everyone, depending on where they are in their lives. My husband, Mike, and I never defined him as a caregiver because I wasn’t struggling physically, despite my Parkinson’s disease. Struggling emotionally is a different story, and he’s been my rock and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shortage of staffing at many businesses, including grocery stores. These days, it seems that self-checkout lanes have become the norm. In many places, gone are the days of multiple checkout cashiers with whom customers can have a brief but pleasant chat. I feel fortunate…

There is a question circulating once again in the Parkinson’s forums and Facebook groups. “What do you wish you had known when you were first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?” This cycle of inquiry seems to repeat itself about once every six months.  It’s almost like, by asking that question,…

Someone once said, “Life is hard.” Someone else said, “Life is hard, and then you die.” Another said, “Life is hard, but God is good.” That’s what I’m holding on to — the belief that although life is indeed hard, God is so very good.  You awake…

My husband and I recently tried out a new restaurant in town (new to us) for lunch to celebrate our 38th wedding anniversary. We decided to sit outside as the weather was nice and it wasn’t smoldering hot. That day, anyhow. We pulled out the cast-iron chairs that…

Despite being used for the past 30 years to treat chronic neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) “remains a fascinating puzzle to scientists, physicians, and engineers,” the lead author of a new review study said. Challenges the technique presents for both…