Ryan Reynolds’ star power is soaring. He’s had a long string of solid hits, but nothing like what the role of Deadpool has done for him – and us. For all of the snark of Deadpool, Ryan, the man, also has tremendous depth and pathos that some don’t know as well.

Ryan’s father, James, had Parkinson’s disease (PD). James passed away in 2015. By Ryan’s own admission, their relationship was complicated. Now, as a father of four children of his own, Ryan has gained perspective on what it means to be a father and is turning his pain to empowerment for others. 

Ryan has worked tirelessly to bring more attention to the PD community for nearly two decades. His latest effort includes a campaign with Acadia Pharmaceuticals called “More to Parkinson’s.” One of the specific aspects of PD they focus on are hallucinations and delusions. Many people think of PD as solely a movement disorder. There are many less-discussed symptoms of PD that actually fall under the psychosocial and emotional realm. These have as much, if not more, daily impact on lives of people living with PD than the better-known movement disorders. 

“I wish l'd known there was more to Parkinson's than motor symptoms,” Ryan Reynolds said, “which is why l'm encouraging people and families affected by Parkinson's to talk early and often about hallucinations and delusions.”

Our 501(c3) nonprofit, Yes, And…eXercise!, is designed to do just that; we help people connect through exploring, discovering and sharing our stories. Stories are innate and extremely powerful. We are guided, inspired, and sometimes even imprisoned by our stories. Cinema Therapy is a technique we use where we watch a film over the course of a 16-week course, breaking it down via Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey. By seeing the film this way and writing our own story at the same time, one stage of the journey at a time, we begin to see and expand our relationship to the films we admire and keep going back to.

If Deadpool is one of your favorites, you’re in luck. Because just as there’s more to Parkinson’s and more to Ryan Reynolds, we also know there’s more to Deadpool. If you’re a fan of the merc with a mouth, read on:

Yes, And…eXercise! is now offering a class featuring the first Deadpool movie. While our nonprofit exists to serve the PD community, all fans of Deadpool are welcome to take this class. The idea with this class, as with all Day One offerings, is for fans to see the films they love differently. There’s more in our favorite films than just Entertainment – there are pieces of ourselves reflected in our heroes. Exploring this relationship can help us uncover the hidden pieces of ourselves that we’d like to draw forward. Just as there’s more to Parkinson’s and Ryan, there’s more to you, too. 

Check out our Day One: Deadpool program to learn how you can put Maximum Effort into understanding the power of your story. 

Originally Published on https://www.yesandexercise.org/

Robert Cochrane, PhD Yes, And...eXercise!

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.