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 […]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a viperfish that prowls through my brain, attacking my neurons and depleting me of much-needed dopamine… It’s also the fastest growing neurological disease in the world and, according to the authors of Ending Parkinson’s Disease, a pandemic. For those who know me, you know that I may have Parkinson’s, but Parkinson’s […]

I hear you. Improvisation may sound scary, silly, perhaps even pointless. I can write furiously from where I am, as a decades-long performer and teacher, until I’ve bloodied my fingers. But nothing will change your mind until you open it. Improvisation must be experienced. So rather than me just telling you more, I’m going to […]

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the thing that goes bump in the night. I can’t always see its physical effects, but I can always feel it there, lurking. It’s also the fastest-growing neurological disease in the world and, according to the authors of Ending Parkinson’s Disease, a pandemic. For those who know me, you know that […]

It’s time we got serious about Ending Parkinson’s disease – the book and the movement. My latest writing class with PD participants, “Day One: The Parkinson’s Prison and the Hero’s Journey to Escape” is 10 weeks into their 16-week journey and they are producing fantastic work that demands to be seen. Similar to the previous […]

Thousands of researchers, clinicians, people with and affected by PD descended upon Barcelona last week for the sixth annual World Parkinson’s Congress (WPC). It was my first and I was thrilled to take part. I’ll give a broad overview here – please know I could fill pages with more details as it was a deeply […]

Telling a sad sack story about Parkinson’s disease (PD) is boring. That’s what Michael J. Fox tells us in the first ten minutes of his new biographical documentary, Still (available on Apple TV+). He’s not only right, he’s showing all of us how to change the trajectory of PD: by telling our own heroic journeys, […]

This is a blended letter written from Susan Scarlett, beginning at the end of the 2021 Day One Superheroes program, and revised before the start of the 2023 Day One Parkinson’s Prison program. For more information on the Day One program, please visit: https://www.yesandexercise.org/about-3 Dear Day One PD Superheroes and fellow Parkinson’s Prisoners, I have […]

Written by YAX’s own First Follower, Susan Scarlett Prior to my diagnosis of Parkinson’s, I began to notice my handwriting shrinking. After my diagnosis, I learned that this phenomenon has a name – micrographia – and it is a very normal part of the Parkinson’s experience. In the years since then, my handwriting has become […]

Traveling is not easy for my dad, a 78-year-old man who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in 2001. At the same time, him missing out or feeling that he is being left out, is something I’m so sensitive to that I’m willing to put in the effort to make sure he gets to participate […]