A Teacher’s Perspective: Lessons Learned Living with Parkinson’s

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in August 2023. The news landed like a sucker punch. I’d already noticed the signs. Slowing down, a mild tremor, and little everyday tasks taking longer than they should. 

My primary care doctor had called them “benign tremors” a couple of years earlier, but the neurologist’s simple tests confirmed what I already suspected. It hit hard. I’m an educator and a lifelong mover, so naturally I pictured retirement as golden hours on the trail or bike, not another battle to fight.

Reorganizing Life Around Exercise

Once the shock faded, I made a choice: this disease would be part of me, not the whole of me. 

For years, I’ve taught exercise physiology, adaptive physical education, and nutrition at Foothill College. Trust me – I walk the talk. Exercise has always been my medicine. Since I can remember, I’ve organized my life around that truth. Now diagnosed with Parkinson’s, I’ve leaned on that truth with more intention than ever before.

Today, I box once a week with a trainer, lift three days a week, and ride a stationary bike six or seven days a week. I teach online now (the campus is hilly with a lot of steps), but I’m still an educator, and still leading activity-based classes like day hiking and beginner’s running. 

Movement keeps me grounded.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Fine motor tasks can be frustrating. Pulling on socks is an adventure, and I often switch to a bowl and spoon when my hands won’t cooperate with a fork and knife. Sleep can also be unpredictable, where a rough night shows up in my symptoms the next day, but I’ve learned to ask for help and to accept it. People are generous, and strangers will often step forward when you least expect it.

Finding the Right Tools with StrivePD

StrivePD entered my story at a local Parkinson’s support group in Santa Cruz. I’m a data person by nature, so the idea of having an easy, research-like view into my own patterns clicked immediately. I signed up, paired my Apple Watch, and started collecting the kind of objective information that turns guesswork into strategy. I’ve now been using StrivePD for over a year, and it’s become a simple, reliable tool in my toolkit.

Here’s what helps most:

• Activity tracking that fits my routine: I log boxing, weights, and rides. StrivePD pulls in steps and movement automatically. I can scan a day, then zoom out by the week to see the bigger picture without fiddling with spreadsheets.

• Movement trends I can act on: After a hard workout, especially boxing or higher-intensity efforts, my tremor settles down. Seeing that in the data reinforced what I felt in my body. On the flip side, a bad night’s sleep lights up the graphs the next day. That feedback nudges me to prioritize recovery instead of pushing through.

• Clean, intuitive design: I don’t want to fight my tools. StrivePD is easy to follow, and “helpful, intuitive, well-done” are still the three words I’d use to describe it.

• A shared view with my neurologist: Before visits, my doctor has access to my StrivePD report, so we spend less time reconstructing history from my memory and more time talking about what to do next. That kind of clarity has supported a decision we’ve made together: hold off on medication until I truly need it. Nearly two years in, that approach, anchored by exercise and informed by StrivePD, continues to work for me.

One more thing that matters: support. The Rune Labs team has been there when I needed help, and knowing there are real people behind the app makes a difference. Tools are only as good as the people who stand behind them.

Optimism for the Road Ahead

Even with the challenges I’ve faced over the last two years, I stay optimistic. I still have time with my loving wife of 30 years, the company of our four cats, and the chance to move every day. For me, that’s more than enough reason to keep going forward.

If you’re newly diagnosed, here’s my message: don’t let Parkinson’s define you. 

Accept it, learn from it, and get proactive. Move, whatever “move” means for you. Start small and make it a habit over three to six weeks. Ask for help. Use StrivePD to understand your patterns so you can make smarter choices tomorrow than you did today. 

This disease can feel overwhelming, but you’re not alone, and you have more control than you think. 

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