Episode Nine: The Dopamine Diaries

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The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration, and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

In recent years, the brain, with its nearly 100 billion neurons that make at least 100 trillion connections, has become hot territory, science’s final frontier. And of all the brain’s chemicals, dopamine, the chemical messenger that becomes depleted in people with Parkinson’s, is the media darling, “the Kim Kardashian of neurotransmitters,” because it’s often discussed in the context of risky behavior involving sex, drugs or gambling. ...

Programming changes coming in June

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As you may have already noticed, InMotion classes are getting more and more popular by the day. As new people join our amazing community, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find space in our classes.

As the InMotion program director, it is my passion to find solutions to meet our growing challenges. In order to better accommodate our community, last September we developed our color system so that every person with Parkinson’s who walks through our doors can maximize their time and potential to stay ahead of their symptoms. ...

Parkinson’s Pals merges with InMotion

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We are thrilled to share that InMotion and Parkinson’s Pals have merged as of May 8, 2018. After more than three years of collaboration, our organizations have officially joined together to help serve the growing needs of people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Established in 2011 as a grass-roots non-profit organization to raise awareness and funds for research to help find a cure for PD, Parkinson’s Pals held an annual fundraiser and distributed funds to The Michael J. ...

Episode Eight: Falling and Flying

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By Catherine Armsden

The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

Journalist and documentary filmmaker Dave Iverson, who has Parkinson’s, has described Parkinson’s Disease as a disease of subtraction. It takes things away from you one by one — your arm swing, your walk, your balance, your smile, your voice. Because of this unstoppable subtraction, he’s said, you need to keep adding things into your life.

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Episode Seven: Drugs and Other Agents

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By Catherine Armsden

The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

“Have you been gambling or wanting sex constantly? Cleaning closets or shopping obsessively?” Dr. Bright asked me. “Sorry,” he added, smiling. “I have to ask.”

I laughed. I liked my MDS, Dr. Bright, a lot. A year and a half earlier, in January, 2010, I’d run to him from the licking flames of the it’s not the worst thing neurologist and the no self-pitiers MDS who’d diagnosed me with Parkinson’s. ...

Episode Six: Fight or Flight

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By Catherine Armsden

The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

In 1969, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, a Swiss-American psychiatrist, introduced the hypothesis that people, when faced with a terrible diagnosis, will often pass through five emotional stages including, but not limited to, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. A scientist in our Parkinson’s Facebook group, Sara Riggare, has come up with another version of the stages of grief that describes the pro-activeness I associate with my friends with PD: shock (at hearing he news); sorrow (mourning the future you won’t have); searching (for information); sharing (supporting your patient community); and shaping (creating a new future for yourself). ...

Episode Five: Every Body Tells a Story

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By Catherine Armsden

The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

Anyone can dash off an account of their childhood, told in hindsight with gratitude for the opportunities and challenges that helped them grow. But to convey not only what we’ve done and where we’ve been but also who we are, we sometimes need to also tell the history that’s lodged in our bodies.

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Episode Four: A Heart is Opened

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By Catherine Armsden

The story of two artists with incurable neurological disease sharing fear, frustration and friendship as they push to complete the most rewarding work of their careers.

After our fun weekend together in Portland at the Brian Grant Foundation gala, Hadley and I texted nearly every week throughout the fall of 2011. At times, when she talked about her painting commissions and plans for her nonprofit, Summit for Parkinson’s, her high energy and spirits seemed almost like euphoria, raising a small red flag inside me.

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2017 – A great year of “friend-raising” and fundraising for InMotion by Nancy McCann

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2017 saw InMotion client numbers grow each month as we welcomed new clients and friends. Did you know that InMotion is now serving over 1,000 clients and carepartners, at no cost to them, in a warm, inviting space filled with a community of loving, kind-hearted people?

Today we celebrate our successes for 2017 and goals for 2018, celebrating not only our growth and flexibility, but also in the advancement of our programming and strategic vision for 2018. ...

Welcome Cathe Schwartz, New InMotion Chief Executive Officer

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The Board of Trustees has selected Cathe Schwartz as the new InMotion Chief Executive Officer. Cathe will officially join the staff on March 19, 2018.

We are thrilled to welcome Cathe onboard and are confident that her experience, knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit are a great match for InMotion as we continue to find new and innovative ways to improve the health and well-being of those affected by Parkinson’s disease.

Cathe is a visionary leader who brings to InMotion deep experience in nonprofit management and fundraising. ...