Shared from worldpdcongress.org.
If you see me in an airport or on a bus, I appear like any typical man in his fifties. Outwardly, I show few motor symptoms, despite my diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD) eight years ago. Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in 2023 granted me increased independence and a renewed zest for life.
Recently, I embarked on not one, but two cross-country round-trip flights all by myself. And when I say, “all by myself,” I am not exaggerating. Who knew being a passenger on a plane would demand so much executive functioning?
Having traveled alone often over the past decade, I was skeptical about the impact of wearing a Sunflower Lanyard on my latest journeys. Would it truly make a difference? To my surprise, it was a revelation. The exceptional interactions I experienced made me wonder—if that level of training were more widespread, the experience could have been even more rewarding.