A Son’s Journey: From Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver to Advocate with Dr. George Ackerman

Are you caring for a loved one with dementia? You don't have to figure this out all on your own. Welcome to Truth, Lies Alzheimer's, the show that helps you reimagine a new relationship with your loved one, a relationship a little more free of stress and anxiety. Join host Lisa Skinner and her 30+ years of experience as she guides you on a new path to a better relationship with those you care for. Here's Lisa.

Hello everybody. Welcome back to another brand new episode of The Truth Lies in Alzheimer's Show. I'm Lisa Skinner, your host, and I am super excited today because I have a very special guest here with me. His name is Dr. George Ackerman. He was also a speaker on my, um, Mining Dementia Summit that I organized last January. So I've invited him back to be a guest on the Truth, Lies Alzheimer's Show because he just released a brand new book, and I want him to tell you all about it. So before we get into that, let me just introduce you and tell you a little bit more about him. His name is Dr. George Ackerman. He also goes by Sharon Sun, and, uh, we'll explain that to you in a few minutes. He's originally from Brooklyn, New York. He now resides in Florida, and he works in the fields of law, police, and education. This man has more degrees than I think anybody I've ever come across. He is a, um, JD, a Doctor of Jurisprudence, which means he's a lawyer. He's also a PhD, and he teaches at the university level. And then he could correct me if I'm wrong, but he also is involved with, um, a career in the police arena. So he can elaborate on that if he'd like to. So quite an accomplished young man. Now, what happened with George is he lost his mother, whose name is Sharon Riff Ackerman, um, back in January of 2020 due to her long-term disease of having Parkinson's disease. So, he has created a movement, if you will, called Together for Sharon in honor of her memory and to find a cure for Parkinson's disease. So, in this capacity, He continues to help in raising awareness on Parkinson's disease to help bring about change. And that is such a needed thing. Just like I do with Alzheimer's disease and dementia, Parkinson's disease is actually a neurological disease as well. So, we're going to talk about that, but I'm— was really excited for him to come on and talk about this brand new book. That he just released. And I want to say before we bring George on to start talking about his book, um, that George has got to be hands down the most dedicated and devoted son I have ever known, and that's including my very own son. So, my first question for George, because I have seen his relentless dedication to raising awareness of Parkinson's disease and just cherishing his mother's memory, I really would love to hear, George, what for you was so very special about your mom that, to you, that keeps you absolutely driven for keeping her memory alive and for finding a cure for Parkinson's disease for everybody who's coming up after your mom's experience with it. So, you, would you mind sharing that with us? Because I have just, you know, I am just, I admire you for, um, your dedication and your devotion. So because I've seen that about you and you're so driven, I would love to hear what was so special about your mom to you.

Well, thank you again. It's an honor to be here. I consider you family. We've known each other for quite a time and You've been amazing to come and do an interview with me on togetherforsheron.com. And hopefully, we'll be, you know, these topics, Alzheimer's, dementia, and Parkinson's are not something I believe we could just have a kind of quick conversation. They have to be continual discussions until we find cures for all of them. And I want to thank your staff too, because everyone there is just incredible. I love your show and anything I can ever do to help is, you know, you always count me in. I love the summit too. But just to get right to it, my mother's my best friend. So, when she passed due to Parkinson's, I feel like a piece of me also was lost forever. There are a lot of positives, unfortunately, because the number one negative is she's no longer with me. But I've met so many inspiring people like yourself and so many battling Parkinson's today that inspire me to keep fighting. We started TogetherForSharon.com thinking just to remember my mother. And I thought maybe 3 or 4 people would see it and that would be fine. We've had over 40,000 people visit the site.

Wow.

The book came out of something where I didn't really want— I've written books, but not in this world of Parkinson's disease awareness. I never really wanted to or thought of it. But what I did have is I kept a journal the last year of my mother's life from inside, the good, the bad, and the ugly from the viewpoint of a caregiver. And I just decided recently that it needs to be out there because so many people have a lot of misconceptions about Parkinson's disease. Like they think it's the elderly man disease, which is not true. Also, it's the fastest-growing neurological disorder in the world. It's about 1 million people in the US, but you know, also 10 million around the world. I was shocked when I found that out. Plus, it doesn't count the millions of families affected daily by it. And now I'm finding out, I don't know if it's because it's such a quick-growing disease, but people are now finding out, you know, their mailman has it or the neighbor or this person. And that's just more and more, which is frightening. And you can also tell how many celebrities are coming out of the woodworks, not just Michael J. Fox now, but recently Richard Lewis, a famous comedian from Curb Your Enthusiasm, actually passed away due to Parkinson's. Muhammad Ali had it. Jan Arena, and so many others that just kind of heartbreaking. And every time I see somebody struggling with Parkinson's on social media or someone I know or attending a live event like a fundraiser, you know, they come up to me and we hug each other and we cry just knowing what they're going through. Because I might not have Parkinson's, I might not be a caregiver of someone alive with it, but I was literally, and the book will tell you, you know, hand in hand with my mother through this fight for 15 years. I didn't really become as active till the last 4 years because she had Parkinson's, but there's 5 stages. And during the first 3 stages, an individual can still be independent, live alone, live life. Although it's a progressive disease disorder and it kind of caught up, we don't know why so quickly. My mother was only a young 69 when she passed. I think in 2024, we should all be around past 85, you know, and she really, I feel, was robbed 15 years alive with the disease, and I feel 15 years after her passing. So, you could see, in my opinion, there were 30 years lost due to this disease. But I fight today in her memory, for all those still battling with it and their families. But I also want to never forget all the families and those individuals who lost a loved one due to Parkinson's. And many times it's a tough topic. People don't really want to think about the end of life. We think about the middle, and the beginning, but the end of life is so important because there's so many things you can avoid, you know, like end-of-life mess, family arguments, and even funeral issues that could all be kind of taken care of beforehand that I think needs to bring more attention to. I was lucky because my mother was an angel. She had planned her funeral. She planned everything. I was the power of attorney. But the fact is we were told by so many doctors that You don't die of Parkinson's, you die with it. So, we were, we're still in shock today that she's not with us. But part of me feels a little bit of a calm because she struggled so badly that it's, you know, she was in such pain that maybe it's sad to say, but it's better that she didn't have to keep fighting every day with this disease.

So, in terms of the book, what was your goal in terms of what you really wanted people to get out of the book? Was it to provide a resource so people would have a place to go to learn all about the disease in many, many different aspects. So if that's the case, can you maybe share with us the names of some of the chapters that would help us understand some of the information that's contained in the book?

Yeah, I really appreciate the time for this because it means the world to me, my family, and so many out there. But There are a lot of meanings to it. Obviously, it was to tell my mother's journey as an individual with Parkinson's battling it. Also, myself as a caregiver. I was shocked to find out, and I always say, please show me if I'm wrong, but it seems I'm the only son in the world that has a book, literally, because I did a lot of research before I decided to do it, but the only son who released a book in memory of their mother about their mother going through a struggle with Parkinson's disease, which is shocking in and of itself. And you can even go today, if you have a moment, on Amazon, or any of these websites and look up, you know, Sun, and you won't find anything but ours, which is kind of sad, but in a way groundbreaking. But the book is important. A lot of the shows I do, and even my own talks, the number one question I get is, what are the signs? So, chapter 1 is literally the first signs of Parkinson's. We don't always have the time on the shows because we have so much to talk about, but I really go deep down in depth as to Parkinson's disease, what it is about it, and some of the signs, at least. And the thing is, Parkinson's is so different for every person. That's why we, I believe we don't have a cure because it's so difficult to medically figure out. But this is about our journey and what my mother went through. Also, symptoms. So, chapter 2, symptoms, associated illnesses, and there are treatments. There's no cure, but there are ways to slow the progression. It was so slow for us. I mean, it was too quick. And also the research wasn't as good as it is 10 years later. My mother was kind of too late for a lot of the exercise, and we tried the diet. We tried a lot of everything. Basically, if we look back, I don't have any regrets. The only regret I kind of joke about—

Can I put you on pause for a second there? In terms of your mother, because I know everybody's different, same with Alzheimer's disease and, you know, the other 200 brain diseases that are, that exist out there that cause dementia. So, specifically talking about your mom, what do you remember as being her first signs or symptoms of developing Parkinson's disease?

Yeah, my mother was a strong person, independent. She always said she didn't want to burden her family, so she didn't really talk about it. I heard the word Parkinson's for 7 years, but again, it didn't really change her life, except that she started towards the end having major stiffness in her left arm, which almost left it like she couldn't use her left arm. But towards the last 4 years when I started taking over, she couldn't really— we ate out a lot. We like food. She loved food, and she just couldn't cut some of the food, so we had to help. But besides that, again, the first several years, she was still able to live a life independent, drive, shop, see her friends. Live life. And a lot of the signs and things she kept inside, which I wish she didn't do. So, the only way I knew about it was through my father, who's a doctor, and he kind of, you know, found out, or even medically, because he's a MD, diagnosed her. There's no actual diagnosis for Parkinson's. They kind of look at other diseases and things like you said, like dementia, and they rule out those and then throw you into the box of Parkinson's, which is a problem because that's a big problem with medications and, you know, late diagnosis or wrong diagnosis, which is a problem. I still think my mother had late onset dementia because towards the end, she had major issues with hallucinations and delusions, which at times were more frightening than even Parkinson's disease. But we again, aren't 100% sure because you can get signs, gain signs of dementia when you have Parkinson's due to the medication. So, some of the most number one signs, Michael J. Fox has a movie a few years ago on Apple TV, and he said it was his finger started moving. But my mother, it was her left arm, 100% was very stiff. And that was where the stiffness in the gait, dyskinesia, the dystonia started, where the curling of the toes. Also, she started, you know, the last few years were the worst where her voice was lower. She also had trouble even eating. She lost a tremendous amount of weight. But it just got, you know, every day it felt like I was a little nail and a hammer kept hitting me because everything we tried just seemed to not work. And every day there was just something else that was more tragic. And we just, we never dreamt that you wouldn't be with us, you know, at 1/1/2020.

Well, I think really what you just did was dispel a very common myth that circulates around Parkinson's disease, which is people associate the disease with everybody having tremors and the, the Parkinsonian gait, as we call it. And from what you just said, that's not necessarily true. With Michael J. Fox, it was one finger moving, and your mom, they didn't necessarily start off with tremors and, and, and the noted gait. Did they, did she ever have the Parkinsonian gait or the tremors? Did they show up eventually?

It's interesting you say that because my mother didn't have like Mr. Fox, who had the more external tremors. She didn't have— she had more internal. So she was upset at times because she thought people didn't believe her, which is even more frustrating. But then I looked at a video a few days ago. We don't have a lot of videos. I was going to say earlier, my only regret in life is that I wish back then we didn't have podcasts really and the ability But my dream would've been, or my wish would've been to have a show with my mother, not about Parkinson's, just about life, you know, just to have, because those memories would've been so important right now. But we didn't. That's my only regret, not medicines or anything, because we tried every, we tried 15 expert doctors. But I wish I had that opportunity because even writing the book, thankfully my aunt, her sister's still with us and she helped me a lot. But a lot of the background and my mother's life was not easy to, you know, come up with because I don't, I was too young. So, but she did have a, when I saw, I was looking at a video recently I posted on social media and I did see my mother actually start, she did the last few years have the external tremors, the difficulty in not moving, you know, the uncontrollable moving. So, she did end the gait too. So, it came more later, but there are individuals out there that don't show every sign that you would think that Michael J. Fox has the external tremor. So, there are so many unfortunate signs and indicators. There are people now I speak to who have young onset Parkinson's who don't have tremendous tremors, and then there are others who do. So, it all, you know, varies.

Well, I think another very important distinction that we should just touch on now, because I don't think a lot of people out there might be aware of this. Because there's a very unique aspect of Parkinson's disease that is unknown to a lot of people. And that's the fact that some people who progress through Parkinson's disease develop the dementia component of it. And we have watched— you bring up Michael J. Fox. I mean, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with his Parkinson's disease as a very young man. I think he was 29 years old, and he's been living with it for 30 years now, but he still does not have the dementia component. I mean, he's as sharp as, as a tack. He does have the physical aspects that show up with Parkinson's disease. And I remember asking you if your mother had the dementia, and you said only, um, she developed it in the last 4 years of her life. So, do you want to elaborate on that a little bit, if you can? Why we see that aspect of it in some people and we don't in other people?

I think it could be the medications, or she again had it late-developed. Basically, the way I became a caregiver, I was thrown into it. Like, you throw someone into a court who just finished law school, or a police officer into the field who just stepped out of the academy, or they say, like, into the wolves from the, you know, just getting— so my mother, when we went, we tried everything. Like, if we had the time, if you took— if you're a scientist and said these are the steps you should take, we did every one, and we did even more, and it just— nothing worked. Uh, So unfortunately, she went— the last hope, she went to a special trial. And again, I'm not mad at the doctors. It's not their fault. They try. But she went to a very, very, very, very prestigious university that I don't name even in the book because it's not their fault. But, uh, so they— I think they might have drastically changed or altered her medications too quickly. And she came back that night, uh, 4 years when I started, before she passed. And I, I got a call, frantic call from my father in New York to rush over to my mother's house around 4 AM in Florida. And I had no clue, you know, I've trained for emergencies but not like this. I get to her home late at night and I see her moving her furniture out of her home. I had no clue what was going on, why. I spoke to her and she was frantic and said, "There's Nazis inside and they're going to harm her." And I rushed her to the emergency room and found out You know, she was having a horrible attack and it could be a UTI and all this stuff. And I didn't even know what that meant or anything. And we said— they said we saved her life. But really, that was the journey that began for me as caregiver. And it was almost worse. Like, I don't even know if it was, uh, I was great for saving her or torture for having her go through the next 4 years. But that was the first time I brought her to the hospital. I ran home to get her some clothing, and this is where world, in my opinion, dementia might have already been going on that we didn't know about. And, you know, I never went in her room a lot because it was her private space in her home. She lived alone. But I went into her room to get some clothes, and I don't know if I told you the story, but you know how we have little Post-it notes? Well, when I walked in the room, it was almost like a horror movie or the movie The Beautiful Mind. She had Post-it notes surrounding the room, and on each note were names of animals and human beings who She wasn't sure if they were alive anymore or, uh, passed. And on the notes were people like her mom, my father, who was in New York. And she wrote down who is there in reality and who wasn't, because that's where the hallucination and delusions were just too strong. And then from that point on, some days were very difficult because she would laugh a little saying her mother's in the room, or she remember her— she was a little child and remembered her dog and things. So, you know, you didn't want to laugh because it wasn't funny. You didn't want to cry because you didn't want her to be upset. So I just tried my best to support her. And I felt— I found that the only time she was okay was when I was by her side. I don't know why, but she felt comfortable with me. And when I wasn't there, it was complete chaos. Like, uh, and if we, if we get to it, and you'll see in the book, it's just a nightmare.

That whole experience must have been at least as hard on you and your family. I know you've mentioned that you have 3 children. Did they see their grandma like this?

I'm actually writing a children's book, but from the point of view of my mother or grandmother, because we couldn't explain Parkinson's even today. I had 3 children at the time. One was so young, about 1 or 2 years old. One was about 5. The older one was about 8, so 7 and 8. She was my mother's love of her life. She always dreamt she'd have a girl. She never did. She had 2 boys, me and my brother. The second, I'll never forget the day my wife and I told my mother we're having our first child and it's a girl. My mother cried because she always dreamt of buying dolls and dressing up her, you know. That was like the best moment, one of the best moments of my life I'll never forget. Yeah, they didn't understand. One specific instance I write about in the book, my daughter Brooke, uh, me and my mother were in her room, my mother's room, one Sunday morning. And unfortunately, this is again a sign of everything, but my mother started hugging, uh, her pillows and saying how much she loved Brooke, my daughter, her granddaughter. And my daughter looked at me and I looked at her and we just kind of smiled but didn't smile. We didn't understand. I didn't understand what to tell my daughter, that my mother actually thought that the pillows were Brooke, and she was hugging them like passionately and saying how much she loved Brooke. But they were in fact, you know, pillows. And there were certain times, and my mother just couldn't appreciate or understand what reality was or anything. It was horrifying. And those are the moments, you know, you want to forget, but they're kind of ingrained in your mind, and they kind of destroy the good memories because that's, you know, the last time, last few years that I remember about, you know, what was going on.

Well, interestingly, just last week I released an entire episode dedicated to how to talk to your children about Alzheimer's disease or any of these neurological diseases to prepare them in case, because my grandmother had Alzheimer's disease. She was my very first experience, and that was like 50 years ago. When, uh, I was a teenager, watching her display a lot of the symptoms that you just talked about, the hallucinations, the paranoia, the delusions. And, uh, when she was in a memory care home, I would take my children to visit her. And so I wanted to prepare them for some of this peculiar things that she might say and, and the way she might act, so they'd understand that Grandma has a disease, um, so it wouldn't kind of freak them out or scare them. And over the last 30 years since I've been working in the elder care industry, I have seriously had so many adult Children or adult adults tell me about their experience having a grandparent with Alzheimer's or, you know, some, some disease that causes dementia and nobody ever prepared them for it and it freaked them out. And I think it's, I'm glad you're doing the book because I think it's another area that we really need to raise awareness and prepare our kids. Because a lot of these situations, they've carried on into their adult lives, and, um, because it was a scary thing for them at the time. So what do you think about that based on the fact that your children actually did witness some of the behaviors and symptoms that were displayed by your mom that were, you know, similar, the hallucinations, the paranoia, the delusions. And sounds like you did a good job explaining to them that this was—

Sorry to hear that you had to go through what you did too. That's why I think we get, you know, together our voices are so much stronger, but we are a family in all these fights to end all these diseases. Because if we don't do it, you know, who is? So we really have to, you know, I feel like we're voices for the voiceless sometimes. And even before my time with this stuff, if we have time later, my background is I've been an advocate my whole life before the world of Parkinson's and caregiving. I actually was a lawyer. I'm an attorney in Florida and D.C. I also have a PhD in criminal justice. I'm also a police officer, but my dissertation in my area, my expertise was aiding African American mothers who lost their loved one due to murder in West Palm Beach, Florida. So, I've been an advocate for victims of crime my whole life and just kind of moved over to this world. But there's so many people out there that need a voice. And yes, my book, my book means the world to me because it's about my mother. But it's not always like we spoke earlier, easy because to get awareness, you have to, you know, get aware, you have to get people aware. And that's been a struggle even in the world of Parkinson's awareness. Like I said, there's not really anyone else who's a son who lost a loved one, mother like me out there. I wish there was. I join with them all. But it's important for my kids. Even I always think, like, do I want them to continue to go to the pesharan.com on after I'm not here anymore? But then I kind of thought, I hope they don't have to. I hope by then we have a cure. Today I speak to them. They're a lot older. My daughter is now 11. She remembers her grandmother and loves her, and we always make sure she'll never forget. My middle one is sometimes he remembers, but not as much. And the youngest one has no memory of her because he was a baby. So I hope that through the book, through all of our work, and even talking to you today, they'll never forget. And I hope that someday I can— you know, I'm working on other books and things. It's not easy because, you know, you and I both, I'm sure, do this all voluntary. We spent countless hours, as many nights I don't sleep, thinking about my mom. I missed her, but all the people still going through this, and that's why I don't rest at night, is I don't want anyone to ever have to go through what she did, or our family. That's really the only reason. I don't accept money. We actually have done this for about 4 years. I've raised over $20,000 for other organizations like Michael J. Fox Foundation and the American Parkinson's Disease Association. Even if you go to our website, you can donate. Those links are from those incredible organizations. And it's in memory of my mother, but everything goes to them. So we don't accept a penny. If you send me a penny, I'll send it back to you. I'm not even joking. But it's hard even in 2024 to reach people because they think that you— people like us don't exist, you know, that people have some kind of motive. But there's nothing. The only thing I want— I would love my mother back selfishly, but that's not possible. So why not fight for other people who still have a chance, you know, and still are out there fighting. But it's shocking that I have to even bring that up that, you know, I mean, you might get it too, but just the other day I had a weird, I tried to brainstorm my head. It's just me, Together for Shine. It's just me. People think we're a big, we don't want to be a foundation. I'd rather not deal with money and deal with all that stuff. And but so the other day I thought, why not? You know, we have all these organizations and they're great. How many of them really can affect that one person, you know, that I know that it's at home struggling, that they lost their career because of Parkinson's and now they can't even afford medicine. And I decided to start a little section on togetherwithsharon.com. It's called People with Parkinson's Around the World. And I highlight people who have incredible— have now maybe like artists who now can make a living doing art because they lost their career as a truck driver. So, you know, I wrote on this Facebook group, which I'll never do again. And that's my third book coming out about the dark side of social media. But you know, there's more positive, of course, but I post on this thing like Parkinson's Artwork. And it was all just people with Parkinson's that have art. They're around the world. I said, anyone out there, I'll put your art, your website, and be like a conduit just to get awareness so people know about you. All these people loved it. They all email me, it's up now, we're done. I moved on. I had to do other things, actually trying to find people with Parkinson's who are athletes. Anyway, so I had it up. All of a sudden I get a weird email, not to get too far out of bounds, but from some administrator of these groups, which is hilarious. And she writes me a message, uh, we don't want anyone exploiting our members. I'm like, exploiting? I don't accept money. We don't want anything. We just want to help them with awareness so people know they're out there. Maybe they can get some money. And we have— we don't— anyway, I said, just look me up, find out I'm a cop, a lawyer, and you know what I do. Look up together. She didn't want to do any of that. I think they were from another country, which doesn't matter. But I removed myself. I got out of there. But what broke my heart wasn't the rude person. It was that there's only like 200, 300 people in the group, which to us might not be a lot, but to me, those are people going through Parkinson's and it means a lot that they know that they're not alone. And there's people like me fighting for them and we don't want anything in return. So, the 30 people who are on my side and I became family with, you know, we're all friends now. But the 270 who now, because of this genius nice person, doesn't know I'm out there. You know, we'll never know who they are and they'll never have awareness. So those are things that really kind of break my heart. I always say the journey I'm not aware of are the ones that hurt. It's just people out there that think they're alone and they don't realize there are people like you and I out there fighting for them. And that's the real shame. But again, you know, the 2 or 3 negative don't outweigh the millions of people who I've just become like family with. And I won't ever stop fighting till we find a cure because of them.

Yeah, that's— you're an amazing person, George. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. But, um, before we run out of time, I'm going to ask you two more questions. Number one, you've written this wonderful resource, and I'm sure that you wrote your book for the same reasons I've written my several books. Is so people don't have to try to figure everything out on their own. And, and it's really difficult. I still hear this from people today that they're just, they have a difficult time finding resources to help them. And, and they are given, um, like no resources to help them after they hear the diagnosis and they don't know who to turn to and they don't know where to go. I actually had a a client of mine say to me one time, and this was the impetus be behind what I do, which is very similar to what you do, is she told me that I needed to write a book because if I didn't, it would be very selfish of me not to share the information that I had spent 30 years learning plus 8 family members going through dementia because it was so hard for people out there to, to find information. And they have, they're just like thrown into, um, thrown to the wolves basically to figure it out themselves. And I think your goal is the same as mine is so people don't have to struggle. It's hard enough going through it with a family member, being a caregiver, figuring there's just so many layers and it's just so complicated. So I basically dedicated my life to raising awareness because what, what, what does that do? It provides people with knowledge and knowledge will give them their superpowers. And I think that's what I hear you saying too. So, um, if you could pick one thing through your experience with your mom to help somebody else who's in the beginning of this journey with their loved one, to help them have an easier time What, what would that advice be? What would, what would you recommend that their takeaway be from this interview so they don't have to go through as hard of a struggle as you did when your mom was going through it? Because you didn't know what you didn't know today.

The book is great, and I'm not just saying it. I don't care about the money. I, I would give it free. I don't care anymore. I just want people to know it's out there because because it will change their life. Some people I do recommend not to read every chapter because it's in the last. So, we have chapters like we mentioned, my primary caregiving, which is a lot of tips on what I did, how it, what worked and what didn't. My support, you have to have support, my wife and my children. I wouldn't be here today. Even not just, remember this book's not just about my mother's journey and mine, it's about advocating today. So, it's almost like a new life that I've started. It's almost like the Michael Bublé song. It's a new day, it's a new, I'm not a singer, but you know. And so, But also, it goes over trying to find good aids because there were times I needed support. Great caregiving. The last week is the toughest chapter. So, I always say you can, it's some people, it's almost like that candy you want, but you know you shouldn't have, you know, you want it. But I mean, it'll tell you what Parkinson's is like from the middle, beginning, and unfortunately to the end. But we don't know the end for everyone because it's so different. Also, the family. I was lucky enough to have a chapter called Family and Friends Remember, where all of, a lot of her best friends or her whole life wrote little passages about her or where they were when they found out she had Parkinson's. Also, the aftermath and the, my favorite chapters are the Mission Forward, which is my advocacy today. And then grateful to so many like yourself who have become like my family. But the number one tip or thing I would say is really the number one secret is to be there and hold their hand. And support your loved one and forget all the nonsense fights or little tidbit arguments that don't matter at that moment because now they need you. You know, I wouldn't be the man I am or accomplish what I have today if it wasn't for my mother's sacrifices. She was a schoolteacher. She had a master's degree and gave it all up to raise me and my brother when she didn't have to. So I knew the day that she needed me, I would give up my whole life to help her. I would trade my life to have her here. So even now it's hard, it's not easy to talk about sometimes. I mean, I've done it so many times, but you know, the last memory I wanted to leave with is even the COVID of the book I can't look at sometimes because it's my favorite memory in my life besides when I met my wife and I had my children. But that photo of my mother and I, it's from my wedding. It was the mother-son dance and it was the one time, like 2 or 3 minutes where Parkinson's didn't exist and didn't matter. We just stared at each other. We talked, we laughed, felt like time froze, like in the movies. And that's the memory that I just never want to forget. And that's why we picked that because she looked so beautiful and she was so happy. And no matter what Parkinson's was doing to all of us at that moment, it just didn't matter because we were together. And that's the number one Lesson I learned is, you know, I have no regrets about anything except that she's not with us, but that I did because I was there by her side, you know, 24/7 almost some days. Obviously, I had to hire groups of caregivers, which was another disaster. That's a whole chapter because they, you know, we went through, we fired about 80 aides, 17 companies, and because no one knew what Parkinson's was. They say they do, they didn't have a clue. My mother was an independent person and lived alone, and now you're bringing in all these strangers. And the only reason we had— we didn't want to put her in a home because I swore to her I wouldn't. But there were days that I changed my mind and didn't do it. But it was very, very— it was a struggle for me too. I didn't have Parkinson's, but I always feel like it's almost like secondary Parkinson's, if that's a term. Maybe I coined it because I felt like seeing it, being there through it, and I felt like I had it too, even though because I mean, I physically was burnt, uh, went through depression, scared, fear, you know, everything, happy, joy, to destruction and chaos. That was what it felt like the last few years. But I do have a little saying I always leave every show with, if you don't mind me saying now. I could wait till—

not at all.

This is for you and all those out there listening, and please share this and support Lisa Skinner Skinner, because what she does means the world to me and her friendship, and I consider family. But without individuals like you and your audience, I don't think I'd be here today because, you know, there's a lot of dark days. And I've been able to take the tough times and kind of put them a little bit behind and move forward in the positive because of people like you and all the incredible support you all give me. But we love you, we support you, we care a lot about you, and you're never alone. I, along with Lisa Skinner, will advocate for you. And together, I feel our voices are so much stronger because I'm just, you know, one person, one son, and can only reach so many people. But together, I feel like we could really reach the world. And I always kind of— not joke, but I say I'm just getting started because even though I've been doing this for a little time, there are days where I feel burnt out and want to give up. But people like, again, you and the people still fighting the disease that I see online, really re-motivate me and really make me kind of come alive again every day. And that's why I keep fighting and keep pushing until we find a cure. So I just want to— I don't know if we have more questions, but I want to thank you always for your time, friendship, and love. It means more than words will ever be able to express on a show.

You just absolutely melted my heart, George. That was the sweetest anybody has said to me that I can think of in a really long time. Thank you so much. And I feel the same way about you. We must be kindred spirits, I think, or something. And then, because it was quite by accident that our paths ended up crossing. Before we go, I wanted to say that there's absolutely no question that George has written a very comprehensive encyclopedia, if you will, of information that would be so valuable to anybody who is sharing Parkinson's disease with their loved one or caring for somebody with Parkinson's disease. And it sounds like he thought of everything to share with somebody who really needs to be prepared for every day of this journey. And I think he accomplished that with this book. And I, by the way, I love that picture of you and your mom myself. It caught my attention the first time I saw it, and it just, um, is so special. And the last thing that I want you to share with everybody is your contact information, your website, and how they can find the book, how they can learn more about you and your drive to find a cure for Parkinson's disease before we sign off. How can they— people find you?

I appreciate it. And thank you again, and your listeners and viewers, for your time. I mean, So much more than just a conversation. And please share it and support your work too, because that means a lot to me as well. And togetherforsharon.com, it's just me. You might go there and say this is an organization, a corporation. It's not. We don't accept money. You can email me there if you are battling Parkinson's or a caregiver. I always love sharing your story because I feel that it's not just about me and my mother anymore. It's about everybody. And we're a family in this fight. We have to be. There are some that aren't a family, unfortunately. Those are the people that I'm baffled still today. And, you know, I learned something new every day, but then, you know, we need to all be together or we're going to be further from a cure. Together for Sharon and I designed really just to remember my mother, but it's really become a live life of its own. It doesn't even need me. It has interviews. It has like this podcast will be there eventually. It has our podcast, which is about Parkinson's awareness. Somehow I've interviewed people from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, from United States Senator Rick Scott. I have some experts in the medical field, and it's getting so incredible. And even interviewed people just last week, a young woman who has young onset Parkinson's who does love letters to her children in case she's not here anymore. And it's heartbreaking, but such a beautiful story. There's so many stories out there, just, you know, we need them to be heard. Uh, there's also interviews with celebrities, even have written messages. One of my mother's favorite people in the world was Kenny G, and somehow I was able to reach him. He wrote a song and also gave a message to my mother, and it's on the website, along with Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne. I've had the honor to meet Michael J. Fox a few times now. Our journey is up there, and he's a hero and advocate that I just inspires me. His birthday was yesterday, actually. And just a lot of information, all the 700 interviews including yours that I've done are all on there. And the best thing is everything's completely free. There's no charge to do the work I do. There's no charge to view it. Just wanted to live on again so people know that they're never alone. And the book can be purchased on Amazon, but if you go to togetherwithashram.com, click About Us, and you see our book, it'll show you, I mean, I don't know how, but we have paperback, we have audio, we have ebook, and we even have a, the audio one. It's funny because it's not my voice because I'm not a fan. It's a movie person's voice. And it's really beautiful to see, you know, see it all just come to life. My dream really would be to see my book become a movie, and I wouldn't accept a penny. I just see Hallmark and Oprah and all these great channels, and there's not even one show ever on Parkinson's disease. And I think it's time, but unfortunately, you need an agent. I don't know anything about that. And I, you know, I don't know, maybe someone wants to, and someday we'll see our little interview and be interested. You never know. That's what my hope is. But I really think that this story is so much bigger than just me and my mother, and people would love it. And they need to have something about Parkinson's on the Hallmark Channel, on the Katie Couric Show, on Oprah, and all these things that just, I don't know how to reach them. I've tried. And it's, uh, that's the one downfall of awareness. Uh, you know, I've sent 15 letters over several times to politicians, to celebrities, and to, uh, uh, you know, media. And it's just, you know, it's hard to get responses. But you know me, I won't give up. So I appreciate again your time, everybody out there's support. I'm never going to stop fighting no matter what until we find a cure. And the one rule that I don't recommend to break, which I have, is as a caregiver or advocate, you have to take care of your own health. I don't do I don't do that, and there's a reason. Number one is, finally, when my mother was struggling, I didn't want to ever regret a moment, even a second, that I couldn't be there for her. So I did sacrifice my own health, but I fought, and I'm still here. And even as an advocate, every time I see somebody fighting and struggling, I feel like I— you know, even today, I, as you know, and many might not, I had 3 major, major back surgeries. I could have canceled today, but I didn't want to because whether I had pain or not, and I'm recovering, If we even reach just one person today through this show, we've changed their life and they know they're not alone. And we've done something that words can't describe. Money doesn't matter. And that's why I keep doing it, even though I should probably take a little break. But you know me, I won't. And even after this, I'll be fighting. So I really, again, just thankful for your friendship, time, and I hope for many more incredible moments together in the future. And for everybody out there, listening to.

Well, George, this has been a really, really moving discussion. Thank you for everything you do. Thank you for being here today. I hope that we did touch a lot of people through our conversation and talking about Parkinson's disease awareness. So, for all of you who took your valuable time today to be here with us and to listen to our conversation about Parkinson's disease. Thank you so much for joining us. You are listening to the Truth, Lies Alzheimer's Show. I'm your host, Lisa Skinner, and I will be back next week with another brand-new episode for you. Take care for now, and we'll talk to you next week. Bye-bye.

Thank you for listening to Truth, Lies Alzheimer's. We hope you found something in today's episode that helps. We understand that caring for a loved one with dementia can be the challenge of a lifetime, but you don't have to do it alone. If you're ready for exclusive access to even more great content and resources, head on over to Facebook and join Lisa Skinner's Minding Dementia support group, where a community of like-minded Caregivers, and we're here to help.