As one way of honoring Parkinson’s Awareness Month, our Davis Phinney Foundation Ambassadors asked people at events and support groups all around the country what they do to live well each and every day. Their answers are as different as they are, and they all reminded us that naming and sharing what matters to you is important, whether you’re living with Parkinson’s or not.
We hope that their words will inspire you to name what you will do today to live your best life.
And, if you’d like to share what you do to live well, leave a comment. We’d love to know!
Get in Touch with an Ambassador and Live Better Today
Are you a person living with Parkinson’s or a care partner to someone with Parkinson’s and you’re having trouble living well? Our ambassadors are dedicated volunteers who embody our philosophy of living well today with Parkinson’s. Ambassadors share our resources and information throughout their local and regional communities to help people take action and improve their quality of life with Parkinson’s. And they’re happy to talk to you!
I am a retired professional collaborative pianist who accompanied over 650 student and faculty recitals in my nearly 30 years at Louisiana State University, School of Music. I have now reconnected with one of those students whose senior recital I accompanied in 2004. Now she is my neurologist and we have joined our musical and medical resources to speak to symposia and support groups to inspire PD patients with our “life hacks” and musical performances. We said that we may have parkinson’s (the lower case is intentional) but it doesn’t have US! We are working to manage our condition with exercise, nutrition, positive thinking, and prayer. As I travel my path to God in heaven, my daily prayer is this: Dear Lord, help me be the kind of woman, who, when her feet hit the ground in the morning, the Devil says, “Oh no, she’s UP!”
What a fantastic story, Jan! Thank you for sharing how you choose to live well!
After much prayer and much thought I decided to see if I would qualify for DBS surgery. I contacted the wonderful staff at Vanderbilt. After going through all of the testing ,thank the Lord ,they said yes. I have gone from not being able to cross a threshold
Because my feet would freeze in my tracks,to going back to work for another year and a half and playing with four beautiful grandchildren.
We’re so glad to hear that deep brain stimulation surgery had such a positive impact on you Parkinson’s symptoms! Many people with Parkinson’s are unaware of this particular procedure so we recommend they educate themselves on the topic and bringing it up at their next neurologist appointment. You can also download our Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery Self-Assessment worksheet from our Every Victory Counts manual, to see if this procedure may be realistic option for you.