“Surround yourself with a care team that is dedicated to making your life better.” – Me

Before I told my children or my other family members, I told my physiotherapist and my osteopath that I had been officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Some might find this strange, but these two professionals had been with me since the first signs of tremor, rigidity, and stiffness appeared.

It was also great to practice telling people who weren’t emotionally invested in my well-being!

Neither of them was shocked and both moved quickly to develop a treatment plan based on this new information. They provided me with optimism at a time when this was truly lacking. They are both the ‘rockstars’ in their field and I am incredibly grateful for their role in my life.

I laughingly told them that my expectations of them were extremely high and that I was confident they would fix this! They both continue to work hard to ease my pain, improve my movement, and bring calm to my tremors. And we laugh…a lot!

Team Carla has many members now. They are all critical pieces to the puzzle of my PD.

• Physiotherapist
• Osteopath
• Chiropractor
• Physiatrist
• Counselor/Therapist
• Massage Therapist
• Naturopath
• Neurologist
• Family Doctor
• Speech Therapist
• Cardiologist
• Movement Disorder Specialist
• and of course my husband, Garth!

ADVICE: Assemble your own team as early as you can – you will manage so much better with support. And if you aren’t fully satisfied with a member, keep looking until you find that perfect fit.

For more info on building your own care team, visit the Michael J. Fox Foundation: Building a Care Team