Moments of Victory® – What’s New with Doug

Mature Man with bike by tree

Doug is a long-time cyclist and lives in Ohio; he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2004. Read Doug's first Moments of Victory blog post to learn more about his journey and philosophy towards living with Parkinson's. 

Briefly describe your journey since diagnosis:

I consider myself to be a lucky man. I love my wife; she loves me. My children love me. That's what counts.

I say Parkinson's, schmarkinson's.  

I can still ride my bike, which is something I love doing. I think it is incredibly fun to go out riding and race other riders uphill. Sometimes I beat them, sometimes they beat me. But I can guarantee that if they beat me, they are breathing really hard when they get to the top of the hill. 

I continue to ride because it is something I really enjoy. If it helps me, so much the better.

How do you live well each day?

I exercise and I watch what I eat. I don't eat more than I need to. I tell my wife and kids I love them. When I need to see my doctor, I see him and I don't put it off hoping it will get better. I always push myself to be the best I can regardless of what I am doing.

 

What do you wish you would have known when you were diagnosed that you know now about living with Parkinson’s?

That losing my sense of smell was a symptom of Parkinson's.

What do you wish everyone living with Parkinson’s knew about living well?

Things will go wrong. When you fall, pick yourself up and go on. Don't lament about the past. This is a new day, live it as if was your last. Everything changes. Accept the change, work hard and go on.

Share Your Victory

Each month, we spotlight someone from our Parkinson’s community who embodies living well today – what we call Moments of Victory®.

Your story, like Doug's, could be featured on our blog and Facebook page so others can learn from your experiences and victories.

Submit Your Moments of Victory

Share this post on social:

To receive our electronic newsletter and other updates, sign up now.

Related Posts

Comments (4)

Good for all of you who are still exercising as much as possible. I can actually still ride my unicycle as well as my bikes, but my wife and doctor threated to make my life miserable if I don’t stay off the unicycle. I admit that even a good rider in GOOD shape can hurt himself on a unicycle, so I’ll try to stay off. On a good day, I look and perform well.

How impressive, Howard! Unicycling is an amazing feat of balance, strength, and concentration which is also guaranteed to turn a few heads. I would always take heed of the advice coming from your doctor as well as your wife since any major injury could keep you from staying active which is so important in living with Parkinson’s.

I still can ride my unicycle too, really weird that I can tip over plug in an electric device but still ride my bikes. Weird Disease!

When they told me I had PD and then told me the best thing I could do is ride a bike. All I could say is, “oh Mr Fox, don’t throw me into that Briar patch! 😄

We’re so glad you’re able to still ride your unicycle! Now that takes balance!

Comments are closed.

Back to top