"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.
“It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.” Louis Sachar "We are human. We are not perfect. We are alive. We try things. We make mistakes. We stumble. We fall. We get hurt. We rise again. We try again. We …
Continue reading "Chapter 7: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Persistence"
“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow.” Mary Anne Radmacher “We can judge our progress by the courage of our questions and the depth of our answers, our willingness to embrace what is true rather than what feels good.” Carl …
Continue reading "Chapter 6: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Courage"
”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 …
Continue reading "Chapter 3: A Parkinson’s Reading Companion on Strength"
“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 …
"Inspirations knock and hang around for a while and wait for some kind of response, which is the beginning of a creative act." Thomas Moore “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Jane Goodal Introduction: In 1980, a Dutch horticulturalist, J.W.S. Van der …
“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 …
Continue reading "Parkinson’s Awareness Month: Quotes About Parkinson’s Disease"
“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 …
Continue reading "Déjà Vu and Neuroplasticity in Parkinson’s"
“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 