Personal Strengths of Character

"Perhaps I am stronger than I think." Thomas Merton “Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”  Bruce Lee See yourself with strength: Life comes with varying conditions, such as easy/hard, simple/complicated, happy/sad, successful/unsuccessful, short/long and healthy/sick.  Being prepared is always good; especially if the equation becomes …

People With Parkinson’s: The Journey To Better

"Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have." Norman Vincent Peale The Journey To Better [The (definite article thē, ˈthē\ used, especially before a noun, with a specifying or particularizing effect) Journey (noun jour·ney \ˈjər-nē\ an act of traveling from …

Leucine-rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2) Is A Possible Target For Therapy In Parkinson’s

“Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind.”  Marston Bates “What we find changes who we become.”  Peter Morville The reality of Parkinson's: Parkinson’s is a common neurodegenerative disorder. Approximately 60,000 new cases/year of Parkinson's occur in the USA, and they join ~1 million people living here with this …

Believe In Big Movements Of LSVT BIG Physical Therapy For Parkinson’s

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” Bruce Lee "Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." T.S. Eliot Believe:  I believe that staying positive will help control the course of my Parkinson's.  …

My Life Is Not Being Measured By Days, My Life Is Being Measured And Lived By Years

"You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope." Thomas Merton Précis:  My Physician DID NOT tell me I had 12 months to …

Positively Parkinson’s

"The most authentic thing about us is our capacity to create, to overcome, to endure, to transform, to love and to be greater than our suffering." Ben Okri “Affliction comes to us, not to make us sad but sober; not to make us sorry but wise." H.G. Wells  An opening story:  Many years ago, I …

Hope Resides Within the Adversity of Parkinson’s

"We are each on our own journey. Each of us is on our very own adventure; encountering all kinds of challenges, and the choices we make on that adventure will shape us as we go; these choices will stretch us, test us and push us to our limit; and our adventure will make us stronger …

The Alpha-Synuclein Story In Parkinson’s

"The measure of greatness in a scientific idea is the extent to which it stimulates thought and opens up new lines of research.” Paul A.M. Dirac Start of the story: Anyone with Parkinson's is hopeful for a cure in the future. Yet, there is much we still do not understand about this neurodegenerative disorder. Scientists and physicians …

Where Does Hope Live?

"Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today." Thich Nhat Hanh "Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness." Desmond Tutu Hope Defined: As a noun, hope is …

Students Provide Resounding Hope and Support

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." Albert Einstein "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge."  Albert Einstein Teaching Undergraduates: Since 1996, I have had the privilege, honor and pleasure of teaching university undergraduates in a …