A Journey through Parkinson’s, Pictures and Love in :”Personality Crash”

A Journey through Parkinson’s, Pictures and Love in :”Personality Crash” YOPN 51:07

The YOPN Podcast is proud to present award winning photographer Safi Alia Shabaik.

Check out her project Personality Crash:

“Personality Crash” is a touching project documenting the author’s father’s journey through Parkinson’s Disease, dementia, and Sundowners Syndrome. Initiated in 2013 to bring them closer before the illnesses took their toll, it uses powerful photographs to illustrate the challenges of caregiving and the father’s Resilience. This podcast explores the project’s emotional depth, portraying the universal themes of loss and love when facing debilitating diseases. It showcases how “Personality Crash” humanizes the experience of losing one’s identity while aging and highlights the author’s profound insights into illness and their capacity for love. The father actively participated in the project until his last day, making it a Moving testament to the human spirit’s Resilience in the face of adversity.

About the author: Safi Alia Shabaik, a Los Angeles native, discovered her passion for visual storytelling at a young age, earning a B.A. with honors in Fine Art from UCLA. She later became an essential part of Grace Jones’s life, working as a Fashion stylist, documentarian, and personal assistant. Safi’s work has graced the pages of publications like The New York Times and Black+White Photography, earning her recognition in Photo Lucida’s Critical Mass Top 50. She also received the inaugural Las Fotos Project Foto Award for Self-Expression and a Visual Arts grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) in collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation. As a founding member of the Los Angeles Street Collective, Safi Alia Shabaik continues to make a lasting impact in the world of visual arts.

Michael Quaglia YOPN PODCAST

My name is Michael Quaglia, and I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at the age of 42 in October 2006. For the next eight years, I worked tirelessly to climb the corporate ladder, hoping to accumulate enough wealth before the symptoms of the disease forced me into early retirement. Looking back, I wish I had made different choices.

In 2014, I stumbled upon two articles that changed the course of my life. The first was a study by the Cleveland Clinic, which found that "forced exercise" could significantly improve Parkinson's symptoms. The second was a video made by a small non-profit organization called Rock Steady Boxing, which demonstrated the benefits of non-contact boxing for people with Parkinson's.

Inspired by the potential benefits of exercise and boxing for Parkinson's patients, I dedicated my life to helping others and myself fight back against the symptoms of the disease. As a result, I have become an advocate for people with Parkinson's and an active member of the Parkinson's community.

To help get the word out in 2016 I started a Podcast "2 Mikes" with a friend Mike Achin. Seven years later we're sponsored by the Young Onset Parkinson's Network, we have numerous cohosts and our content resonates with the PD community.

Before my diagnosis, I worked as a Sales Manager for Engineering staffing agencies, but my journey with Parkinson's has led me down a different path, one in which I find fulfillment and purpose in making a positive impact on the lives of others.