SATURDAY – JAN. 13 In the middle of the night, my dad came out of their room. Staying in the same place as two parents with needs means sleeping with one eye open. I asked him what he was doing. He said there were spiders everywhere. I asked him to show me. He pointed at […]

PROLOGUE My dad, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and I completed our second Run Disney event on Jan. 14th – the half marathon at Disneyland. We did the full last year in DisneyWorld and the takeaways, as you see in the pictures or can read about in this blog, broken into a day […]

If you’re treating Parkinson’s disease (PD) as solely a disorder of movement, you are missing a significant portion of what negatively affects outcomes. If that diagnosis of your treatment upsets you, good. It’s time we took a look at emotional IQ and how it impacts those you serve. As a care partner to a father who has […]

The moment “You have Parkinson’s disease” catches your ears your life is changed forever. For many, this traumatic diagnosis sets off a series of alarm bells. How did this happen? (no one knows for sure) How can I get rid of this? (you can’t – for now, maybe ever) What do I do now? That’s […]

The idea of having a word of the year came to me from my dear friend and Yes, And…exercise! (YAX) co-founder, Susan Scarlett. She first offered it to me as a concept early in 2021 when I was struggling with my PhD program. She reminded me of both the meaning and value of joy. I […]

This blog is written by Michelle Lifshitz, a woman who was a care partner for her father, who had Parkinson’s disease. She is also a recent escapee from the Parkinson’s Prison. Please click the link for more information and to sign up for the next round of our class, Day One: The Parkinson’s Prison and […]

This blog is written by Susan Scarlett, a woman with PD and recent escapee from the Parkinson’s Prison. Please click the link for more information and to sign up for the next round of Day One: The Parkinson’s Prison and the Hero’s Journey to Escape! Andy Dufresne was innocent.  Michael J Fox was innocent.  Muhammad […]

Dear Doctors, I have a new prescription for you. It’s called improvisation via Yes, And…eXercise! (YAX!). You may have heard of improvisation, but you most likely haven’t tried it. And, even if you did try it or see it somewhere, it was probably in a performance-based form – which is sort of an off-label version […]

We owe big thanks to everyone who came out to the ballgame on Saturday, Sept. 15th to celebrate Yes, And…eXercise! We had over 30 friends and family in our suites, terrific food and we saw the home team Round Rock Chupacabras hit three home runs en route to a solid 7-3 thrashing of the visiting […]

We’ve all heard the riddle: A lost hiker caught by surprise with a fierce winter storm stumbles into an old trappers cabin. It is cold and light is fading fast. The freezing hiker looks around the interior and sees three items that could save his life: an oil lantern, a candle, and an old wood […]