“Living well with Parkinson’s” can sound like an oxymoron, but it can be done.

Since my diagnosis, I have explored three continents, became a dog dad, met the love of my life, got married, won a Super Bowl ring, bought my dream house, and somehow became a model at age 51. So when your inexperienced neurologist who really specializes in sleep disorders tells you you have Parkinson’s, and tries to cheer you up by talking about Michael J. Fox … it’s the beginning of your journey, not the end of your life.

Your journey will take you through anxiety, depression and sleeplessness. And you will feel pain, stiffness, slowness, and unwanted movements. But you’ll find a great movement disorder specialist. You will exercise. You will eat better. You’ll learn to meditate and you’ll find yoga or tai-chi. You’ll train your body and your mind. You’ll share your experiences in support groups and in volunteer opportunities. You’ll find laughter and understanding in our community. You’ll learn about new strategies to manage your disease. You may participate in some trials. You will have the support of your friends and family, who you will watch unlock new levels of compassion for you, and you will experience love from them on a level you didn’t know existed. You will learn to take care of yourself and appreciate your fit body and your trained mind.

You are a construction now, built by medication and technology, shaped by physical exertion and powered by an unflinching drive to keep up with this thing.

Not every day is going to be a good one, but you will appreciate the good ones on a level no one else gets to.

On my diagnosis day, I thought my world had ended. But the best things that ever happened to me happened after, and to have them AND Parkinson’s makes me proud in a way that I could never have been otherwise.