Dave Powers
When Dave Powers was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in January 2019, he felt hopeless. He was living in California at the time but his daughter Courtney, who lives in Coralville, Iowa, invited him to attend On With Life’s Neuro Rehabilitation Conference in Iowa City that fall. He made the trip back to Iowa and sat with his daughter as he listened to On With Life staff members Gail McGaughy and Courtney Huber talk about “living your best life with Parkinson’s disease.” It ended up being a life-changing moment.
“I got emotional listening to Gail talk at that conference,” said Dave. “She was talking about hope for the future and in that moment, I had hope for the first time since my diagnosis.”
He signed up that very day to be a part of the LSVT BIG and LOUD program at On With Life’s outpatient clinic in Coralville. He attended in-person sessions that spring and kept up through the various Parkinson’s-based classes and support groups that were offered virtually while back in California. He had found the confidence he needed to fight back against Parkinson’s disease and live a better life, and started his own support group in California to encourage others to do the same.
“My dad went from not being able to tolerate talking about his diagnosis to becoming a leader in his Parkinson’s community,” said his daughter.
Just recently, Dave moved back to the Iowa City area to be close to family. He looks forward to being able to attend On With Life’s Parkinson’s disease support group and wellness classes in person and continue fighting alongside the On With Life community.