I knew Parkinson’s disease would change our lives, but it was harder than I expected

first person

First Person is a daily personal piece submitted by readers. Have a story to tell? See our guidelines at tgam.ca/essayguide .

I am a grumpy wife of a man with Parkinson’s disease. In my 2023 First Person essay, I was cheery about coping with his disease. Well, I’ve moved past cheery to angry and frustrated and just wanting to run away.

I know that many people are dealing with more difficult challenges than we are but I don’t have the energy to care about them right now. I care about us. I am a writer so I spend my time signing up for writer’s retreats that I will later have to cancel because I can’t leave him alone.

Nine months after I wrote that first piece, Stewart started confusing his medications and became listless and disinterested in eating or walking. Then