When Life Gives You Parkinson's

About When Life Gives You Parkinson's

Larry Gifford has Parkinson’s disease, and he wants to talk about it. When Life Gives You Parkinson’s chronicles Larry’s journey following diagnosis at age 45, but he knows he’s only part of the story. The podcast gives voice to the fascinating people that make up the Parkinson’s community and beyond — his family, his fellow people with Parkinson’s, care partners, advocates, researchers and healthcare providers. Through these interviews, the podcast informs and inspires others to share their own stories revealing the challenges and growth offered by the Parkinson’s journey. Larry is a seasoned broadcaster and the podcast is co-hosted by then-radio personality Niki Reitmayer until 2020 when Larry’s wife Rebecca takes on the role. Special thank you to our partners. Presenting partner is Parkinson Canada, content and promotional partner Spotlight YOPD, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research Parkinson’s IQ + You, PD Avengers, World Parkinson Congress #WPC2023 in Barcelona, Spain.

Publisher

Curiouscast

Category

health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Jun 2018

Latest episode

25 Aug 2025

Latest episodes

7 of 130 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   25 Aug 2025

   The Parkinson's Plan with Dr. Ray Dorsey and Dr. Michael Okun

   Host Larry interviews neurologists Dr. Ray Dorsey and Dr. Michael Okun about their book, "The Parkinson's Plan," revealing how environmental factors drive Parkinson's and offering actionable steps for prevention and treatment.

2. 

   5 Mar 2025TRANSCRIPT

   PD Avengers: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)

   PD Avengers co-founders Soania Mathur and Larry Gifford discuss the challenges of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), a condition often associated with Parkinson's disease. Larry shares his experience of waking his wife up multiple times due to vivid, disturbing dreams and physical movements during sleep. Despite not having hit anyone yet, he described grabbing things and pulling a lamp toward them, which causes objects to fall. He also mentions how his wife, who sleeps in another room, checks on them during these episodes for safety. Soania relates to this experience, noting she developed RBD after their Parkinson’s diagnosis. She describes having vivid and violent dreams, often feeling anxious. She highlights the unpredictability of RBD, which disrupts her sleep and contributes to daytime fatigue. Both speakers express concern for their care partners, as they experience anxiety and stress from the disruption of their own sleep while trying to ensure safety. The conversation touches on a survey that revealed the significant stress care partners experience due to sleep disturbances in people with Parkinson’s. The speakers acknowledge the importance of sleep for both the individual with Parkinson’s and their care partner, noting that a lack of sleep adds stress and affects overall well-being. They conclude by discussing the ongoing research and the continuous struggle that Parkinson’s disease presents. LINKS: SLEEP SURVEY https://www.pdavengers.com/sleepsurvey PDAVENGERS: www.pdavengers.com SPARK THE NIGHT: https://sparkthenight.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   5 Feb 2025TRANSCRIPT

   PD Avengers Weekly Chat - Balancing Life and PD

   The PD Avengers discuss the challenges of balancing life with Parkinson's disease, emphasizing the impact of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) on daily routines. Both Tim Hague and Larry Gifford highlighted the necessity of daily naps and improved sleep post-DBS, though daytime sleepiness persisted. They shared personal strategies like improv for maintaining positivity and energy. Traveling with DBS was noted as challenging, with issues like being patted down at airports. They promoted the PD Avengers community, encouraging sign-ups to amplify their voice in ending Parkinson's. The conversation also touched on practical tips like using the sunflower card for hidden disabilities at airports. www.pdavengers.com https://sparkthenight.org https://hdsunflower.com/ ASK A QUESTION: https:///www.speakpipe.com/pdavengers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

PD Avengers: REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD)

Published 5 Mar 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Oh, yes, yes, which is just delightful. Now, it is delightful. I have had it as well. I do. I just developed it. You know, a lot of people develop RBD, who have RBD go on to develop Parkinson's mind. My Parkinson's disease has been here for about maybe 2022 years, but before my RBD stuff started. But I haven't hit anybody or hit anything yet. Just a lot of vivid, vivid dreams and vocalizations, like I'll wake myself up. Oh, yeah. For sure. And like, it's like what I'm just going to sleep. Suddenly, I'm reaching out and grabbing things. And then when I'm in REM, I just go crazy apparently. I pull a lamp closer to me and it knocked off my glass of water. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

219 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

26 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 37 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

35

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

96

Contact When Life Gives You Parkinson's

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The Parkinson's Podcast

• 

  The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson's Podcast

• 

  The Secret Life of Parkinson's

• 

  Parkinson's Disease Education Podcast

• 

  Substantial Matters: Life & Science of Parkinson’s

• 

  ZOE Science & Nutrition

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