life
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New Year’s Day is supposed to feel like a beginning.January 1 arrives with confetti and expectations—a collective agreement that we get to start over. My body did not get the memo. Parkinson’s doesn’t pause for fireworks or make resolutions at midnight. It doesn’t care what year it is. It measures time differently—by symptoms, by medication…
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Everyone wants a picture-perfect Hallmark movie Christmas, right? The house decorated inside and out, ready to win the neighborhood light-display prize. Right?But what we conveniently forget are the parts of the movie where the main couple has a dramatic breakup, or Grandma gets rushed to the hospital because she’s winded and everyone fears her heart…
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The people in my life are my best medicine, and they are the meaning I can measure my life by.
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If you live with Parkinson’s, please hear me: do not take Benadryl.A few days ago, I had a massive, all-over itchiness that drove me crazy. Triple-digit heat had left me with a case of prickly heat, and I couldn’t stop scratching. My scalp itched so badly I tried using dandruff shampoo just for some relief.…
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They say laughter is the best medicine—and for the most part, I agree. But like many things in life with Parkinson’s, even something as joyful as laughter can become… complicated. You see, for me, laughter doesn’t always feel like a gentle release. Sometimes it’s more like a rollercoaster that I didn’t mean to get on.…
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We didn’t just grow up together; we were in sync. Our thoughts, our games, even the way we moved through the day—it all felt like a chorus.
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Dear Friend, You didn’t ask for this. None of us did. But here you are—with a diagnosis that changes everything and nothing at once. And you told me. That matters more than I can say. I know how hard that moment can be—the words sticking in your throat, the fear of how it might land.…
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In Fall of 2023, I was introduced to the Day One Cinema Therapy writing program (via www.yesandexercize.org). It was a lifesaver, helping me find the strength to save myself. Through the 16 weeks of the class, I focused on a Joseph Campbell-inspired Hero’s Journey to uncover hidden emotions that imprisoned me. By naming my apathy…
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It’s a fast and rickety wooden roller coaster ride of emotions, too. There are days when it feels like I am only an observer watching my mental control, ability to speak sensibly, and my general health slip away. This crisis of my body and mind changing due to PD is stealthy, treacherous and can be…
I have Parkinson's. Parkinson's doesn't have me! 