kitty 
We all know that Parkinson’s is cruel. However it can be cruel in the most unexpected of ways. Whilst on this unpleasant and unwanted navigation of life with Parkinson’s I have learned some occasionally uncomfortable things about myself. I am writing specifically about my lack of sympathy and concern for those around me that become … Read more
A few weeks ago I was convinced to try roller-skating. I had been watching my daughter skate around the cul-de-sac where we live and thought it looked like a lot of fun. My son wanted to skate too, and his skates fitted me, so my children suggested I give it a go. I lasted about … Read more
Getting on with one’s life after a diagnosis of Parkinson’s is strange. There is the inevitable sadness, feelings of loss, confusion. I could go on with the negative stuff but it drags me down. Then there’s the good stuff. Yes, there is good stuff, but you might need to look a little harder for that. … Read more
Last week I visited the neurology department at my hospital. I saw a different doctor (again) and two lovely medical students from the University of Otago. It was a visit I had not been looking forward to at all. I am sorry to report that it met my expectations in that I left in a … Read more
It’s almost World Parkinson’s Day. It’s something big on my calendar yet I’m sure to most people it’s ‘just another awareness day.’ In the six years I have had this disease I have seen the Covid-19 pandemic sweep the world and an effective vaccination program created and rolled out worldwide. Yet the drugs I am … Read more
Good old Facebook, always there, ready to surprise you with that memory option. I was going to write about feminism, nothing to do with Parkinson’s at all. I can hear some sighs already. Don’t worry. Facebook put paid to that as it reminded me six years ago I visited the hospital for the first time … Read more
Disease or Condition? I had a call from a friend yesterday that had been reading my blog. She asked me why I kept referring to Parkinson’s with the word ‘Disease’, as she knows I hate that term. I explained that it is a new website and I wanted to attract the widest traffic I could, … Read more
The Muhammad Ali Approach to Affirmations Last year for Christmas I bought a ‘Big Life Journal’ for my two boys. It’s a guided journal with a series of research-based activities and resources to help kids build positive “growth-based” mindsets. The one we got was for “tweens/teens”, but there are different versions for younger kids. My … Read more
A Day in the Life – Emma Woke up, got out of bed, took a bunch of dopamine. Living with Parkinson’s sometimes involves some crazy swings and roundabouts in energy, and general feelings of wellbeing. Yesterday I gave a good demonstration of how suddenly and shockingly I can crash. I was making pancakes for lunch, … Read more
Positive Affirmations Emma wrote recently about Mohammad Ali and how it created her own motivational mantra. How positive affirmations helped her feel some much better day to day. I used to think that mantras were just for the hippies. The brown rice and sandals brigade. (Disclaimer – I own both brown rice and sandals) However … Read more