How do you go from a five-minute diagnosis that flips your world upside down to becoming a source of light for the global Parkinson’s community? In this episode of This Is Parkinson’s, host Lisa Volenec sits down with Tim Lockard (founder of My PD Party @mypdparty on instagram) for a heart-to-heart on the realities of living with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease (YOPD) and critical decisions during difficult times.In this episode, we explore: The "Brochure" Diagnosis: Tim shares the jarring experience of being diagnosed in minutes and sent on his way with nothing but a pamphlet. Overcoming Depression: A raw look at the two-year dark period Tim faced and the exact moment in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot that changed everything. The Environmental Link: A discussion on the potential connection between the automotive industry (degreasers/chemicals) and PD. Finding Your MVP: Tim’s incredible "full circle" story involving a personal photo with Muhammad Ali and meeting Lonnie Ali at the Michael J. Fox Foundation policy forum.Tim’s message is clear: Parkinson’s doesn’t define you; it’s just a part of the new, beautiful version of you.Follow Tim Lockard: @mypdparty━━━━━━ ꕤSupport the mission of This is Parkinson’sDonate here: https://bit.ly/thisisparkinsonsdonate━━━━━━ ꕤFollow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisparkinsonsofficialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisparkinsons━━━━━━ ꕤAbout This is Parkinson’s:This is Parkinson’s is a nonprofit storytelling platform dedicated to sharing honest conversations about life with Parkinson’s disease. Through interviews with patients, caregivers, advocates, and experts, TIP aims to educate, reduce stigma, and build a community around the realities of living with Parkinson’s.Learn more: https://www.thisisparkinsons.orgContact: [email protected]━━━━━━ ꕤ🔔 🩵 ⟢ Thank you for watching and supporting TIP. Your support helps amplify the voices of the Parkinson’s community and brings greater awareness to this disease.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices