Life in the Balance is an inspirational book that helps put life into perspective by telling the courageous story of a successful cardiologist’s diagnosis and journey with PD and dementia.  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with the author, Dr. Thomas Graboys, while in Boston. Tom was a top cardiologist in Boston, and received his diagnosis at the age of 49. In the book he includes some of the e-mails he received from patients following his diagnosis and retirement, and he discusses his shift from doctor, to patient. Tom talks about the struggles he personally faced with the disease, and how it impacted his loved ones. I have met with several PD patients and caregivers who have read his book and it helped them understand both the physical and emotional side of the disease because they could relate to Tom and many felt empowered by his story. 

-Sara Gogolak, Advancement Officer

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a great read. The book highlights the power of one person’s data and samples to influence research in virtually every discipline of medicine, including Parkinson’s! It also highlights many of the privacy and consent issues of 1950’s when there were virtually safety protections for individuals who participated in research. The field has come a long way since then on this front, but it is important to recognize that Henrietta Lachs’ experience was the basis for forming the patient consent rules, institutional review board process and privacy stipulations that govern all research today.  The book reads like a novel and is quite a page turner. I highly recommend it purely for the appreciation of what one woman's samples can do for research. 

-Claire Meunier, Director of Clinical Trial Strategies

This year I finally got around to reading The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddharta Mukherjee, MD, PhD, assistant professor at Columbia University. The jury that awarded this non-fiction work the 2011 Pulitzer Prize called it "an elegant inquiry, at once clinical and personal." I think that’s why I enjoyed this book so much — it’s a mix of personal stories and clinical assessment. Mukherjee takes the reader through the history of cancer to current research and prevention methods while calling out researchers who have brought us to the present state of science and patients living with these diseases. It’s an interesting read for anyone who has been touched by cancer, who works in health care or medical research or who enjoys a good mystery.

-Maggie McGuire, Associate Director, Research Communications

Daphne Miller is an MD whose patients often complain of problems that are hard to pin down, like generalized pain and persistent stomach troubles. In Farmacology, Miller decided to look for solutions on family farms, whose residents are famously free of common modern ailments. She shares what she learned about the benefits of bacteria, grass-fed beef and more. I liked that she promotes farmers markets and healthy eating without being extremist about it – she’s still in favor of modern medicine for real illness, but thinks getting “back to the land” can help most people improve general wellness.

-Nancy Ryerson, Online Engagement Assistant

Earlier this year I read Brain on Fire, which tracks the deterioration of 24-year old Susannah Cahalan as she struggles with paranoia, seizures and month-long memory loss. Initially diagnosed with mononucleosis and bipolar disorder and dismissed by her neurologist as an alcoholic, the New York Post journalist chronicles her long path to a diagnosis of anti-NMDA-receptor encephalitis. Drawing on her own health records, security camera footage and family member’s recollection of events, Cahalan reconstructs her lost month in NYU’s Langone Medical Center and the research breakthroughs that saved her life. Cahalan raises important questions about psychiatric care and turns introspective, questioning her ability to truly know herself after the loss of her memory and cognitive abilities.

-Stephanie Startz, Social Media Specialist

I was already a huge fan of Jim Gaffigan when he gave a fantastic stand-up performance at the annual Michael J. Fox Foundation Gala. It inspired me to purchase his book, Dad is Fat. You can easily find me on the New York City subway—I’m the crazy lady laughing hysterically by myself while reading Dad is Fat as other passengers gradually try to move away from me. Directly as a result of this purchase, I have made the switch from being a long-time vegetarian to making my own chocolate-covered bacon. Also, I gifted Jim's book to my commitment-a-phobe brother, who, one week after reading Dad is Fat, proposed to his girlfriend.  So Jim, I can actually blame you for my insanity, my fat and my in-laws. But mostly, a lot of happiness. Thanks. A representative quote from the author:

"We are all a little weird. And we like to think that there is always someone weirder. I mean, I am sure some of you are looking at me and thinking, 'Well, at least I am not as weird as you,' and I am thinking, 'Well, at least I am not as weird as the people in the loony bin,' and the people in the loony bin are thinking, 'Well, at least I am an orange.'"

-Hannah Oppenheimer, Digital Strategy Assistant