cheryl
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From local adventures to a family road trip: Here's how we tested my mom's travel needs - USA Today
To prepare for our first family vacation after my mother's Parkinson's had advanced considerably, we started out small.My mother developed the first signs of Parkinson's about 10 years ago but it wasn’t until a series of falls in early 2021 that her mobility became significantly challenged. Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disorder that can lead to shaking and difficulty with motor functions.
Until a few years ago, she would fly alone to visit me in New York City at least once per year. After landing at LaGuardia Airport, she would catch a bus to Harlem, navigate several subway lines, then walk to my apartment with her suitcase – all by herself.
Suddenly unable to walk without assistance after her falls, and now requiring accessible accommodations that she hadn't considered just a year earlier, we worried we wouldn’t be able to include her in our family's vacation.