2021 was not one of the better years for most of us. I won’t even begin to get started on what was bad, it is too depressing. However, it wasn’t a total loss. There were actually a few bright spots for people with Parkinson’s that I want to share with you.

1. Through the magic of Zoom, we had access to numerous speakers, exercise classes and more, any time of day or night.
2. Finding so many wonderful new friends from around the world and different ways to interact with them. I could have Zoomed, or FaceTimed all day and night! Don’t forget about Google Meet Ups, boxing, playing Table Tennis or other games with friends virtually.
3. There is some positive research coming out about treatments for PD
   • I just saw this one from Parkinson’s News Today: Tweaked Peptide May Prevent Toxic Alpha-synuclein Clumps From Forming. A new molecule — a peptide tweaked by scientists in the laboratory — has the potential to prevent the misfolding and toxic aggregation, or clumping, of misfolded alpha-synuclein protein, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, a study shows.
   • If you are a science geek you need to follow Simon Stott, who writes the blog, The Science of Parkinson’s, about PD research for the Cure Parkinson’s Trust. He tries to explain everything in plain English, but it is still very technical. Here is his latest blog post: ADepTing to the UCB-Novartis deal
   • This is one for Mr. Twitchy: Golf Associated With Greater Balance Benefit for Parkinson Disease Than Tai Chi. The authors recommend going to the driving range to work on your balance. They also found that golfers were much more likely to continue with their sport than with Tai Chi.
4. Many organizations are now offering some type of Peer to Peer Mentoring Program for the newly diagnosed. My Sunday Mornings with Twitchy Woman group has devloped a mentoring program for Women with Parkinson’s that is working very well. If you are newly diagnosed and want someone to help you make your way through the maze that is Parkinson’s, please fill out the application on the Peer to Peer mentoring page on this website. Women who want to mentor someone, please go to the same page to apply.
5. Dozens of new blogs have popped up recently, from many different points of view. I love the name of this one: Who Stole My Dopamine! by Emma, a hilarious mom of teens from England who has PD. That name may even be better than Twitchy Woman!

I am grateful for getting through 2021 relatively ok considering how much our lives have changed because of COVID. Looking forward to 2022, hopefully returning to some sort of normalcy. I hope to have many more opportunities to connect with all of you in the coming year, maybe even in person.

Heading South…..

to Antarctica for a couple of weeks. It is unlikely that I will send anything out while I am gone, so look for the first post of 2022 after I return to Los Angeles. Penguins will definitely be included!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Sharon