MOMENTS OF VICTORY® – COREY KING GIVES BACK AND LOOKS FORWARD

• January 10, 2018

Briefly describe your journey since diagnosis:

Since diagnosis, I have volunteered for a variety of organizations, including the Parkinson’s Action Network, the American Parkinson Disease Association, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the CyberPatriot Program, the Lone Star Parkinson Society and the San Antonio Movement Disorders Foundation.

I retired in 2011, after having deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. I’ve written two books about living well with Parkinson’s and am currently working on a third. I also run a blog called The Crooked Path where I write about the joys and challenges of living with this disease. I’m the president and chairman of the board for the SA Moves Foundation, and I’m honored and excited to be working with The Davis Phinney Foundation as a Parkinson’s Ambassador.

How do you live well each day?

I see every day as a gift, and I work to be grateful for the time I have with family and friends. I try to learn something new, exercise and do something for someone else every day.

What do you wish you would have known when you were diagnosed that you know now about living with Parkinson’s?

I wish I had known that I have the power to choose my attitude. For the first six months after diagnosis, I was fearful and apprehensive about my future. I finally decided that I wanted more from my life, and that Parkinson’s was not who I was. It was incredibly liberating to realize that Parkinson’s was not in charge; I was. Since then, I’ve worked to keep my eyes on the horizon, not on my own feet. I’m not successful every day, but every day is a new chance to try again.

COREY KING’S PHILOSOPHY

What do you wish everyone living with Parkinson’s knew about living well?

Living well is a personal choice, and it means something different for everyone. For me, being physically, mentally and socially active helps me to live well. Volunteering and focusing on what I can do for other people is also a big part of my approach to living well.

Living well is not an individual activity, either; sharing challenges and successes is vital. Recognizing and taking credit for every victory doesn’t always come naturally; sometimes you have to learn how. I’ve learned to do that by being and talking with people who have been there and have walked the same road. That’s what “Every Victory Counts” means to me – living well in your own skin, loving life and sharing joys and burdens with the people you love.

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