Live Parkinson’s: Finding Gratitude & Resilience This Thanksgiving

This week, host Chris Kustanbauter pauses to celebrate Thanksgiving and explore a profound question: What are you truly grateful for right now, even while living with Parkinson's Disease?

In the face of chronic illness, it’s easy to let fear and frustration dominate. But the most resilient members of the Parkinson’s community have mastered the art of finding blessings—even on the toughest days.

This special episode shares four powerful and true stories of hope, resilience, and deep gratitude from people navigating life with Parkinson’s. Learn how a diagnosis can refine your spirit and offer unexpected gifts. This is a must-listen for anyone living with PD or caring for a loved one.

Key Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• The Gift of a Slower Pace: How one person found new compassion, patience, and appreciation for the present moment after her PD diagnosis. (Joan's stories - Liveparkinsons.com)
• A Caregiver’s Perspective: A poignant story of shifting from denial and fear to acceptance and counting the blessings of waking up together, titled "Thankfully, It's Only Parkinson's." -(Karen Lefton, Neuro Challenge Foundation)
• Persistence Redefines the Destination: Frank's inspiring journey of facing a young-onset diagnosis (at age 39) with exercise, mindset change, DBS, and creative advocacy through music and poetry. (American Parkinson's Disease Association)
• Gratefulness as a Practice: Tim's profound realization that gratefulness is not about denying hardship, but a 'softening of the heart' that embraces life exactly as it is.
• A Call to Action: Chris encourages listeners to identify and articulate three things they are genuinely grateful for this week to build strength and optimism. (by Tim Roberts, Grateful.org)

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Thanksgiving Frame
• 0:56 Why Gratitude Matters With Parkinson's
• 1:41 Joan On Slowing Down And Compassion
• 3:23 Karen And Doug: Choosing Gratitude
• 7:35 Frank’s Persistence And DBS Journey
• 10:00 Tim Roberts On Gratefulness Practice
• 12:20 Three-Gratitudes Challenge And CTA

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:13

Hello and welcome to Live Parkinson's Live an Exceptional Life. I'm your host, Chris Custom, and I've been living an exceptional life with Parkinson's for the past 15 years. The mission of this podcast is to help as many people as possible living with Parkinson's to lead a great quality of life. Now, this week here in the U.S., we celebrate Thanksgiving. Now, for many, it's a holiday filled with family, food, and tradition. But beyond the turkey and the football, Thanksgiving holds a profound power. It forces us to pause. It compels us to look at our past and our current struggles, past the tremors, the rigidity, and the off times, and generally ask, what am I grateful for right now? Now, when you live with a chronic disease like Parkinson's, it's easy to let fear and frustration dominate the narrative. But the most resilient, optimistic people, the ones who truly live Parkinson's, have mastered the art of finding blessings even on the toughest days. So today we're celebrating the holiday by sharing four powerful true stories of hope and gratitude from the Parkinson's community. These stories prove that while PD changes your life, it doesn't have to diminish your spirit. In fact, it can help refine it. So let's dive into these incredible testimonies of resilience. And I'll try to do the best I can to accurately convey what the author was trying to say in their story. And our first reflection comes from a person living with Parkinson's, and her name is Joan, and she found that her diagnosis wasn't just a loss, but was a surprising source of new gifts. So here's her story. Many people assume that a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease only brings challenges. And yes, there are challenges. But I've learned that a slower pace in life can bring unexpected gifts, and I chose to count them. One of the most significant gifts I've received is a growth of compassion and patience. I think back to my pre-diagnosis self. I was often impatient, especially standing in lines. I would sigh and tap my foot, wishing people would just hurry up. Now, when I see someone struggling to move or someone who is visibly stressed, I don't rush them. I don't judge them. Instead, I feel a kinship, a deeper understanding of their struggle, and I'm learning to appreciate that we are all dealing with something. Living with Parkinson's also forces me to slow down my mornings, where I used to rush through my routine, now I move intentionally, focusing on each step, each stretch, and in that slowness I find refreshment. I find time to truly appreciate the morning light, the quiet cup of coffee, and the simple fact that I can move and breathe. The disease can take many things, but cannot take the power of my choice. I choose to see these as gifts the gift of patience, the gift of compassion, and the gift of appreciating the present moment. Now that powerful message was shared by Joan and published in her Parkinson Stories on the Libparkinsons.com website. And Joan writes monthly poems and stories about her Parkinson's journey on Joan's page on the Libparkinsons.com website. So please visit the website and check out Joan's stories. They're very optimistic and uplifting. Now, our next story is called Thankfully It's Only Parkinson's. There are moments in life when the world seems to stop. For Karen, that moment came one evening. Nestled in bed beside her husband Doug, they had a ritual, sharing the most important events of the day before drifting off to sleep. Doug went first. His words were simple, but they shattered the air. I have Parkinson's. Karen's response was immediate and visceral. I reject that. Doug wasn't just her husband, he was the best human being she knew. Kind, gentle, brilliant and strong. She had met him later in life when she was a single mom of an eight year old. He was tall, handsome, fluent in Spanish, and still searching for the perfect partner. After seven months of courtship, Karen told him, You should marry me. You'll be happy. And he did. For years, they built a life filled with love, laughter, and shared dreams. But Parkinson's changed everything. It started with small signs. Doug's gait was off. His right arm no longer swung as he walked. His handwriting shrank into tiny letters, a symptom called micrographia. Doug, a physician himself, recognized the clues. The diagnosis was undeniable. For Karen, it felt unfair. Doug was young, fit, and full of life. Their plans for retirement suddenly seemed fragile. She wrestled with anger, envy, and dread. They would need to rethink their future. Home without stairs, legal documents prepared, dream condensed into shorter timelines. Yet, life has a way of teaching perspective. Doug's neurologist, a longtime colleague, passed away unexpectedly at age sixty-three. Their neighbor Nancy faced ALS with serenity and courage, choosing her own path of control. Friends, colleagues, and even celebrities, Michael J. Fox, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, reminding them that Parkinson's was part of a larger human story. Slowly, Karen and Doug began to shift from despair to gratitude. Doug retired earlier than he wanted, but he found joy in new pursuits, Spanish lessons, pickleball, and time with her grandchild. Karen found strength in acceptance, in swinging arms together during walks, in listening to Doug's breathing at night, and counting the blessings. And so Karen's reflection became a love letter, not just to Doug, but to life itself. She realized that tomorrow is never promised, and while Parkinson's is a heavy burden, it's not the end of joy, love, or purpose. Her words echo with resilience. Doug will never wake up and be Parkinson's free, but he does wake up, and I wake up with him. Sometimes I just listen to him breathe and count my blessings. We are fortunate indeed. Now this story is about denial of heart isn't about denial of hardship. It's about choosing gratitude in the face of it. And Karen reminds us that even when life hands us Parkinson's, there's still love, laughter, and the gift of waking up together. So in this Thanksgiving may we all carry that lesson to hold close to the people we love, to find joy in the small moments, and to be thankful, even when life is imperfect, that we still have today. Now this poignant reflection, titled Thankfully It's Only Parkinson's A Caregiver's Perspective, was written by Karen Lefton and published by the NeuroChallenge Foundation. Now our next story is called The Power of Persistence Frank's Journey. Frank was only thirty nine when the first whispers of Parkinson's appeared. His hand trembled slightly, his steps felt uncertain, but he brushed it off. Too young, too busy, too unwilling to believe. For years, the signs grew louder, until the truth could no longer be ignored. In 2007, the diagnosis came Parkinson's disease. At first, fear and anxiety wrapped around him like chains. Everyday tasks felt like looming threats. He worried about losing control, about being defined by his illness. Nights were restless filled with questions that had no easy answers. But persistence has a way of reshaping despair. Frank sought out a movement disorder specialist, someone who just didn't treat symptoms, but offered a path forward. Through guidance he discovered that Parkinson's was not the end of his story, it was the beginning of a new chapter. He began to move again. Exercise became his ally, diet his foundation, and stress management his shield. Slowly the chains loosened, fear gave way to determination, and anxiety was replaced by a mindset of possibility. Even setbacks, like a frightening trip to the ER, did not break him. Instead, they fueled his resolve. He pursued deep brain stimulation, a treatment that restored much of his independence, and with persistence, he reclaimed his life. Frank's transformation wasn't just physical, it was creative. He poured his journey into poems, lyric, and music. His words carried the rhythm of resilience, his songs echoed with hope, and he even released an audiobook, sharing not just his struggles but his triumphs. Today Frank's story is not about Parkinson's, it's about persistence. It's about the courage to face fear, the strength to change mindset, and the power to turn advocacy into art. His journey reminded us that Parkinson's may shape the path, but persistence defines the destination. Now this inspiring journey, The Power of Parkinson's Frank Story, was published by the American Parkinson's Disease Association. Now our final story is titled Gratefulness Embraces Parkinson's. There's a moment in life when everything changes. For Tim Ro Tim Roberts, that moment came at an age fifty, when he heard the words You have Parkinson's disease. At first, the disease felt like a collapse. His identity, his sense of self, they seemed to crumble under the weight of fear, anger, and loneliness. Thanksgiving, joy, and even simple gratitude felt out of reach. But then something shifted. Tim discovered that gratefulness wasn't just about a thought, it was a practice, a way of living. He began to notice the wholeness of life, not in grand achievements, but in the small, fleeting moments. One evening, he stood before a rose. At first it was just a flower, but as he gazed at it, something extraordinary happened. He felt as though the universe itself was looking through his eyes at the rose, and the rose was looking back at him. In that instant, he realized Gratefulness is not about denying hardship. It's about opening our hearts to the beauty that still exists, even in the midst of struggle. Tim describes it as a softening of his heart, a physical release that allowed joy, awe, and connection to flow in. He began to see that every moment, even the difficult ones, was part of a large river of love and creativity. Living with Parkinson's didn't become easier overnight, but through gratefulness, Tim found clarity, ease, and a deep sense of belonging. He discovered that gratefulness is not just a response to life, it's a way of embracing life, exactly as it is. And so, this Thanksgiving, Tim's story reminds us of something profound. Gratefulness is not reserved for perfect moments. It's found in the imperfect, the fragile, the fleeting. It's found in the way a rose blooms, in the laughter of family, and in the courage to keep going. Gratefulness embraces Parkinson's, and in doing so, it embraces all of us. And this profound piece, titled Gratefulness Embraces Parkinson's, was written by Tim Roberts and was published on grateful.org. All right, now these four stories, Jones' discovery of compassion, the caregiver's acceptance, Frank's persistence, and the practice of deep gratefulness, give us a roadmap for navigating Thanksgiving week with a renewed sense of spirit. So as we conclude this special episode, I encourage you to take a few minutes today to intentionally identify three things that are gen that you're genuinely grateful for right now in your life. What are you grateful for? Rate them down. Say them out loud. Let that feeling of gratitude be your source of strength. Now, if you found inspiration and hope in today's episode, here's how you can support the Lib Parkinsons mission and stay connected. Subscribe to the newsletter. If you want to continue helping people with Parkinsons to lead a great quality of life, please visit LibParkinsons.com and subscribe to my free monthly newsletter. You get motivation, tips, and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Support the show. If you feel strongly about my mission and want to help keep these messages of hope flowing, you can click on the support the show link in the description of this podcast, and every contribution helps me reach more people in our community. And then finally, learn more about my personal journey. If you want to learn more about my personal Parkinson's journey and the strategies I've used to live an exceptional life with Parkinson's, pick up my book, Spectacular Life, Four Essential Strategies for Living with Parkinsons. It's available on Amazon. And I want to thank you so much for listening, and I hope you all have a blessed and grateful Thanksgiving. Until next time, keep living a spectacular life. Stay healthy, stay strong, and live your best life with Parkinson's. Thanks again, and I hope to see you soon.