Let Them Help
I wasn’t expecting to cry at a medical conference. The annual ATMRD conference is full of remarkable moments: Researchers unveil discoveries, clinicians share new approaches to care, and people living with Parkinson’s tell stories of resilience and struggle. But sometimes the most important lesson comes from a simple question. This year, that question came from my friend, Dr. Dan Irizarry. Ryan Reynolds was on stage sharing the story of his father, who lived with Parkinson’s disease. Ryan was…
Originally Published on https://www.yesandexercise.org/
Dr. Robert Cochrane is a graduate of UNLV's Integrated Health Sciences department. He's researching the effect of improvisation and storytelling on Parkinson’s disease. He received grants from the Parkinson's Foundation and support from the Davis Phinney Foundation along the way. He is a popular, unique and high energy Keynote speaker, bringing joy, optimism and practical tools for people in the PD community to thrive today.
He has a background in filmmaking, with the Artisan Entertainment release, The Playaz Court, and two Stephen King-based short films among his credits. His father, Dan, was diagnosed with PD in 2001, which shifted Robert’s artistic lens to health. He made his first documentary, the award-winning Boys of Summer in 2004. There are two follow up films in the series with the fourth film coming in 2023.
He moved his family back to Walnut Creek, CA, where he grew up. He lives there with his beautiful wife, two teenagers who are, indeed, "all that" and is a proud care partner for his amazing parents.