Let’s start here: what if we called Parkinson’s a journey rather than a disease? Defining Parkinson's disease (PD) as a journey immediately gives power and autonomy to the person with PD. It sets one up for an adventure. As opposed to focusing on it as a disease, which can make one feel sick, wounded, infected, less […]
Robert McKee is known as a guru in Hollywood for his ability to break down and rebuild stories. Hollywood bases its entire existence on being able to tell great stories that connect with the audiences. For as much as people complain about the stories that come out of Hollywood being recycled, they seem to miss […]
I’ve spent the last several years listening to stories from the Parkinson’s disease (PD) community. More than just listening, I developed two programs that help people discover, play with and ultimately share their stories. One theme that has been constant is the frustration many people feel when they share they have PD with someone who […]
The following piece was written by BJ “Cecil the Diesel” Bement as part of the Day One: Parkinson’s Prison and the Hero’s Journey to Escape class. How did this happen? How did I get here? David versus Goliath on Court TV? It started with me having to face Senator Grubbman alone. From the outset, it […]
After about 20 years of being out of college, I decided to go back to school to get my master’s in social work. This is so I can do more work helping in the Parkinson’s community. As part of my master’s program, I am currently interning at a low-income senior living facility. We provide social […]
John Hurley is a dear friend I’ve had the pleasure of meeting through the Jam for Joy and Day One programs. He has written some of the most influential work in the class, inspiring his classmates to look deeper, feel more freely and live with greater strength of purpose. I had the pleasure of sharing […]
In the movie “Dumb & Dumber”, Comedian Fred Stoller stands outside a phone booth. Stay with me – this was the 90’s. He’s pacing because he has a phone call to make, but the goon (Mike Starr as “Joe Mentalino”) is handling serious business on the inside. Tired of waiting, Fred pounds on the glass […]
We have a direct ask: please go to ,,this site and leave a message of love and happy 80th birthday for our mom, Paulette Cochrane. Her birthday is February 15th. It is free and easy and your message can be as simple as “Happy Birthday. I love you.” Why it’s extraordinarily time sensitive: our mom is […]
I want to try to take some of the pressure off those given the difficult task of delivering the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Doctors are under an inordinate amount of stress to do the work they do. They are often falsely led toward God complexes by those they try to heal. This imbalance must […]
Editor’s note: this is a letter written by Ryan Holland, a participant in the Day One: Parkinson’s Prison and the Hero’s Journey to Escape class that began on Jan 16, 2024. Dear Friends and Family, I have leaned on many of you in the past few years as I have learned to accept my Parkinson’s […]
