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 […]
Improv has a funny role in society. It is both revered and feared. It is loved and, at times, loathed. It’s almost inconceivably brilliant when it’s played well and it’s nails on a chalkboard when it’s done poorly. In its highest form, on shows like Saturday Night Live, which is scripted but often uses improvisation […]
MONDAY – JAN. 15 The next morning was a fun recall of the night before. We shared our favorite memories. My dad had a difficult time remembering – a lot seemed to be mashing together for him. I asked him about his favorite ride and he seemed to describe a ride that I didn’t recall. […]
SUNDAY – Jan. 14 (POST RACE) We felt great and, as the park was opening at 9a, decided to roll right into Disneyland. We did take a quick stop at a full bathroom in the parking lot for dad. I needed to help him and we had our first fall. Dad was hanging on to […]
SUNDAY – JAN. 14 (RACE DAY) We got up and got out the door in reasonable time – you decide if 3:15a is reasonable to you. All the check lists were checked. We knew approximately where we needed to be, but there would be some discovery as we got closer. The general rule of race […]
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 […]
