I was diagnosed with PD in the summer of 2022 but had been experiencing symptoms for many years before that. At first, I was shocked and felt alone. This changed once I met with a mentor from the PASD. He was the first person with Parkinson’s that I talked to, and it was a great relief to realize that I was not alone in my experiences, struggles, and anxieties. What he told me about his path helped me find my own, and I am so thankful for that. I hope to give the same to my mentees.

For me, mentoring starts with listening. Everyone’s experience with PD is different, and I try to meet people where they are — whether that means answering practical questions, working through the emotional weight of a new diagnosis, or simply being someone who understands without needing an explanation. I know how much it can mean just to say something out loud to a person who’s been there. I’m also happy to share my own journey — what’s worked for me, what hasn’t, and what I wish someone had told me earlier — not as a prescription, but as one perspective that might help you find your own. Above all, I want you to know that you don’t have to figure this out on your own. I look forward to meeting you over a cup of coffee in North County San Diego.

I have been happily married for 34 years. We have two wonderful children that fill us with joy. Before my retirement in 2022, I was a scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, studying the role of plankton in the ecosystems of the world’s oceans.