Neuro note #4

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Dad living with Parkinson’s
For my final neuro note I decided that I wanted to dive deeper into the life of someone who has been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease. I chose this topic because I was interested to learn more about how this disease affects the younger population compared to the more commonly diagnosed population over 60. After researching on YouTube, I came across a video about Andy McDowell, a 48 year- old father of two and husband. He was diagnosed at the young age of 43 and decided to share his journey thus far. Andy is still living an active life but with modifications when necessary. One day on his way to drop off his children at school like he does each morning, he began to notice that his right foot was not able to move over in a timely manner to press on the brake. This became a worry for Andy as he would be putting his life and his children’s lives in danger behind the wheel. He was able to re-train his brain to using both feet while driving. He is determined to participate in the things he loves as long as possible such as his business because it keeps him mentally alive. Although he is still capable of contributing to his marketing business, he is very self-aware that he is losing a lot of proactive energy and is beginning to hold back his business from growing. A very important lesson I have learned from Andy’s story is that it is possible to find the “silver lining” in any situation. Due to his illness, Andy spends less time working which leaves more time to spend with his young children. He claims that in a way, Parkinson’s has been freeing for him and his wife, as they were able to look at what is most important and clear out the “clutter” of life. Although Andy is very honest about the fact that he often cycles between being extremely angry of his diagnosis and being at peace, He has proven to me the importance of fighting for your freedom until the very end. I recommend this video to future OT’s as a learning tool for how to help this type of client modify and adapt to their new situation physically and mentally.


Attitude. (2016, July 26). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bp9n60m3AY

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