A creative mess is better than idle tidiness.

Michael J Fox

April has been very busy for the Parkinson’s Community. Because it is Parkinson’s Awareness month, we have all been inundated by all of the Parkinson’s organizations with various lectures, classes and other things to do. Twitchy Woman had a lot going on, too. Thankfully, May looks to be a much quieter month. Here are a few of the many things Twitchy Woman has been doing this last month.

A Proclamation

For Parkinson’s Awareness Month, I was able to obtain a proclamation from the Beverly Hills City Council. Unfortunately, there was no time in their schedule for me to speak to them. It is not too late to procure a proclamation from your local authorities. Information on how to request a proclamation is in the Parkinson’s Foundation Parkinson’s Awareness Month toolkit.

Urban Poling Podcast | Benefits of Activator Poles for People with Parkinson’s

Every once in a while, I am invited to be on a podcast or an interview about my journey with Parkinson’s Disease. Last week I was interviewed by Joy Cochran from Urban Poling for their first podcast of the year.

From the Urban Poling Promo:

“Are you or someone you know living with Parkinson’s? Do you want to learn more about how physical activity can help manage symptoms? Look no further than the Urban Poling Podcast, featuring presenter Joy A Cochran and guest speaker Sharon Krischer, also known as Twitchy Woman.

In this episode, Sharon shares her personal experience living with Parkinson’s and how she discovered the benefits of using Activator Poles.

Sharon’s story is inspiring and informative, offering valuable insights into the ways physical activity can improve the quality of life for those with Parkinson’s. The podcast is a must-listen for anyone looking to learn more about this condition and how to manage it through exercise.

So what are you waiting for? Tune in to the Urban Poling Podcast and discover the power of physical activity for Parkinson’s management.”

Gratitude Stories

Sometimes I file items to be used in a later blog post, and then forget about them. Apparently, some time after I fell and fractured my shoulder last year, I asked for your “Gratitude Stories.” I just found them and will try to publish one or two in each new post. Feel free to send me your stories to add to the collection.

I appreciate the little things

Alisa Huntington: In response to your email just now I am grateful for my mentor, Bonnie Schwartz. She literally saved me, especially in the first few months. This mentor program was a game changer. Also, I’m grateful how my dx made me appreciate the little things so much more and not take my good health for granted. Feel free to share!
I would love you to give a shout out to Bonnie!

…exercise every day

Denise H: I continued to go out and exercise everyday even through Covid! I feel good and am truly grateful to be able to hike everyday as well as work!

Twitchy Woman at the WPC

Congrats to our Twitchy Woman, Susan Lehman, whose abstract on the TW Mentor Program was accepted for the Poster Tour at the World Parkinson Congress. Only about 15% of the abstracts submitted are accepted for the Poster Tours. Unfortunately Susan will not be able to go to Barcelona, so I will be explaining the poster to the group on the Poster Tour. If you are there, please come by and say hello. You may even score a bit of Twitchy Swag!

Annual Twitchy Woman T-shirt Sale is Back

Order yours today. Sale closes at the end of April.

What’s New?

“I’m with Twitchy” T-shirts in Black or White for Care Partners in many different sizes. The ever popular v-neck Twitchy Woman tee is now available in White or Black. Tees will be mailed directly to you from Custom Ink.

Click here to go to the sale.

Speech Accessibility Project

Here is your chance to help others with Parkinson’s. A coalition between LSVT, The University of Illinois, Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta and Microsoft is recruiting People with PD to help develop speech recognition tools for those whose speech has been affected. After a short interview, it was determined that my speech is ok and I did not qualify for the project. If your speech has been affected, please consider participating.

Enjoy the rest of the month!