On turning 55...it's about time

June 4, 2025: Today's the day I turn 55.

When the first Boys of Summer documentary began in 2004, my dad had just turned 60 years old. That didn’t feel like a landmark birthday to him or me. We noted it. But life was still fairly as expected at that point - he was diagnosed with PD in 2001. On our two month, 20,000 mile journey, some people questioned if he even had it. He looked “normal.”

In 2014, when we made the second Boys of Summer film, Second Base, my dad turned 70. That birthday caught him a little more. It did sound a little older. He felt it for sure. But he was still driving. He was still playing golf. He using a mobility device (cane, walker, etc.) at that point.

In 2019, he turned 75 and we made the third Boys of Summer film, Short Stop. Once again, the time jump was noticeable. A major storyline in that movie was moving dad into acceptance of using the walker full time. He got there - but it wasn’t easy.

Now, in 2025, we work on the fourth film in the series, Third Base. Dad doesn’t drive anymore. He is wheelchair bound at this point. His voice is soft and speech is slurred. These are all typical and difficult, painful parts of PD progression. He gave up golf - but there has been a major, amazing wrinkle in that storyline I look forward to sharing with you all in the new film, which we hope to debut at the World Parkinson's Congress in May 2026.

My dad turns 81 this month - we're Geminis. His 80th celebration last year was marked by this amazing video. This is not the life he expected, but God love him (as I do), he tries to make the most out of what he’s been given. It’s a major reason why I went back for my PhD at 49, why I founded my 501(c)3 nonprofit Yes, And…eXercise!, why I have dedicated my life to this community being seen, heard and valued.

I believe in the power of the arts to heal. If exercise, which was once considered fringe in terms of its benefits, can now be considered medicine for Parkinson’s, why not writing and improvisation, too? Isolation, anxiety and depression are well-known problems for the Parkinson's community. These novel, tested programs offered through Yes, And...eXercise! have proven, powerful results.

I hope you’ll join us - by showing up to one of our classes or donating to help those that do. Thank you.

-- Robert Cochrane, PhD