This piece was written for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. You may read it here.

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Allan Cole is Deputy to the President for Societal Challenges and Opportunities at The University of Texas at Austin, where he also serves as a professor in The Steve Hicks School of Social Work and, by courtesy, as a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Dell Medical School. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2016, at the age of 48, he is the author or editor of many books on a range of topics related to bereavement, anxiety, and spirituality. His latest book is Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease (Oxford University Press) and his next book, Discerning the Way: Lessons from Parkinson’s Disease (Cascade), will be published in late 2021, as will his first book of poetry, titled In the Care of Plenty: Poems (Resource Publications). Follow him on Twitter @PDWise.