He Got a Parkinson's Diagnosis at 46-Three Years Later, He Has a Message for Every Family
Despite more than 1 million people in the U.S. living with Parkinson's disease, most know surprisingly little about it. The term "Parkinson's disease" often conjures up the image of Michael J. Fox, who is perhaps the most famous person with Parkinson's disease, and that's about it. But the reality is, living with Parkinson's disease doesn't just look one way.
According to the American Parkinson Disease Disease Association, Parkinson's disease is a type of neurological movement disorder that affects the brain and causes difficulty with movements or motor symptoms. The hallmark symptom of Parkinson's disease is tremors, which are a form of rhythmic shaking. Other symptoms include stiffness or rigidity of the muscles, slow movement, sleep problems, fatigue, constipation, anxiety, apathy and depression.
Parkinson's disease is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disease in the world. The increase in Parkinson's diagnoses means that more families are sure to be impacted by it in the coming years. Carlos Velez, a 49-year-old retired Navy veteran, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease when he was 46.
Parade talked with Velez about how his diagnosis has impacted his family and what living with Parkinson's actually looks like.
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‘My Diagnosis Was Tough To Accept'
Three years ago, Velez was at the mall with his son, who pointed out that Velez was dragging his feet. "He asked me why I was dragging my feet, but I spent 20 years in the military, so my whole body hurt. I didn't think much of it," Velez says.
But after his son pointed it out, Velez noticed when it happened a second time, and then again a third time. That's when he decided to see his doctor about it. "I had also noticed a slight tremor in my left hand," he adds. When Velez brought his symptoms up to his doctor, he was stumped. Because Velez was only 46, his doctor didn't think his symptoms were due to a stroke or a neurological disorder, but he referred Velez to a neurologist for more testing.
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After undergoing brain imaging tests, Velez's neurologist diagnosed him with multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord. Velez decided to go to another neurologist for a second opinion. "This doctor looked at my medical records and my MRIs. Then he told me, ‘You have Parkinson's disease. I can see it,'" Velez says. It was June 14, 2023.
Though Parkinson's disease doesn't have a cure, some medications can help minimize the symptoms, which Velez was prescribed. It wasn't until he noticed that the medications were helping his symptoms that he started to fully believe he truly had Parkinson's, after being misdiagnosed with multiple sclerosis before. It's also important to know that there is no distinct medical test for diagnosing Parkinson's; it is often diagnosed after ruling everything else out.
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For Velez, his Parkinson's affects the left side of his body. Since he is right-handed, he was still able to work his job, assembling boats for the Navy; he just stuck with using his dominant hand. But eventually, it got too hard to work this way and he had to quit. This, he says, made him feel really depressed. "It was tough to accept," he says.
A Total Mindset Shift
Ultimately, Velez says that it was his family that helped change his mindset, especially his wife. "We decided to be open with our kids from the beginning. One was in high school and one was 20," Velez says.
Naturally, his kids had a lot of questions about what Parkinson's was, and Velez did his best to answer them honestly. "However old your kids are, there is an age-appropriate way to explain Parkinson's to them, so that they know what to expect," he says. The American Parkinson Disease Association has a variety of resources for families navigating these conversations, including the downloadable books Mommy Has PD, Something's Different About Grandpa and Talking to Your Teen About Parkinson's.
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Being open with his family about his diagnosis made it easier for Velez to tell other people about it. Now, it's something he shares freely. As a middle school baseball coach, he starts each season telling his players about his diagnosis and how it might impact him. For example, sometimes he feels tired during practice and has to sit down on the bucket used for holding all the baseballs. He says they've completely embraced it. "When I'm feeling good, they'll ask to race me. When they notice I'm feeling not-so good, they'll bring me the bucket to sit on," he says.
Three years into his diagnosis, Velez says that he has good days and bad days. His life may look different than it did before, but he certainly hasn't stopped living fully. Besides coaching middle school baseball, Velez is a passionate beekeeper. "I go into a trance when I'm beekeeping and I stop shaking," he says, adding that when he's beekeeping, he often forgets completely about Parkinson's.
Finding Community
Connecting with other people with Parkinson's has been key for Velez-especially other people who are as young as he is. Velez found his community on TikTok. "One day, I was scrolling through TikTok trying to disconnect by finding funny videos to show my kids, and I came across this video of a guy who was wearing a hat with the name of a band I like, Social Distortion. We started exchanging messages and he told me he had Parkinson's," Velez says. Soon, Velez was included in a group chat with more than 20 people of all ages living with Parkinson's.
The group chat is a place where support is exchanged as often as jokes. "We all look after each other and we had a Secret Santa exchange like you wouldn't believe. Packages were being sent all over the world," Velez says. "Yes, we all have this condition in common, but we can laugh. We can enjoy life."
Velez says that his wife has her own people she connects with too-other friends she can go to for support and just to have fun with. After all, Parkinson's doesn't just impact the person diagnosed; it impacts the whole family.
Even though Velez has a great support system, he says that not everyone has stuck around after he's shared his diagnosis. This may be because they might not know how to respond or act. Velez says that many people simply aren't educated about Parkinson's, which is why he speaks openly about it with anyone he can.
Velez is proof that while Parkinson's disease can certainly be challenging and life after a diagnosis may look different, it's not anyone's complete identity. It's still possible to live a full, passionate life with Parkinson's. If you want to connect with others with Parkinson's either online or in-person, visit the American Parkinson Disease Association website to find a chapter near you.
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Sources
- What is Parkinson's Disease? American Parkinson Disease Association
- Rocha, G. S., Freire, M. A. M., Falcao, D., et al. (2025). Neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease: are we looking in the right spot? Molecular Brain. doi: 10.1186/s13041-025-01218-6.
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 2:25 PM.