"Where Life Meets Parkinson's." A blog for Parkinson's education, research advances, treatment strategies, and personal reflection. The goal is to provide support and resources to anyone either with Parkinson's disease or with any neurodegenerative disorder.
”Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban "You can not have a positive life and a negative mind." Joyce Meyer Introduction: In 2015, I posted a blog entitled "Words Worth Living" (to read …
Continue reading "Chapter 5: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Positivity"
“Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” C.S. Lewis "Opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves come when life seems most challenging." Joseph Campbell Précis: The students from my undergraduate course, “Biology of Blood Diseases”, submitted quotes about these words: hope, courage, journey, persistence, positivity, strength, adversity, mindfulness, and life (for further details …
Continue reading "Chapter 4: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Adversity"
"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength." Arnold Schwarzenegger "When something bad happens you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or let it strengthen you." Dr. Seuss Introduction: The 62 …
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"Life's a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. Don't worry about what you don't know, life's a dance, you learn as you go." John Michael Montgomery "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life." Omar Khayyam Précis: "Thought-filled Responses" is a part of my undergraduate course, "Biology …
Continue reading "Chapter 2: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Life"
Preface: A Parkinson's Reading Companion “You may not control life's circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them.” Atul Gawande* “On every journey you take, you face choices. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. And it is those decisions that …
Continue reading "Chapter 1: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Hope"
“Stop taking identity in illness and start taking identity in wellness” Nina Leavins “The thought of hope is the seed to healing.” Shilpa Menon Précis: Several of you have asked for an update on my strategy for treating my Parkinson's. My current plan consists of traditional Parkinson's medication, augmented by a complementary and alternative medicine …
“I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.” Madeleine Albright "This is where it all begins. Everything starts here, today." David Nicholls Introduction: What is Parkinson's Disease? Parkinson's is a motor system disorder …
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“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.” Rabindranath Tagore "Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey." Paulo Coelho Introduction: A year ago this month, my …
Continue reading "Update on I’m Still Here: Life with Parkinson’s"
“Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.” Winston S. Churchill “...remember that what has once been done may be done again.” Alexandre Dumas Introducing the terms: Déjà vu: "A feeling of having already experienced the present situation." (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/) Neuroplasticity: "The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming …
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“Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope.” Pittacus Lore "Hope is a function of struggle.” Brené Brown Beginning of the story: Tuesday, I drove from Chapel Hill, North Carolina to Blacksburg, Virginia (~3 1/2 hours, …
Journey with Parkinson's 