"You may not think you're going to make it. You may want to quit. But if you keep your eye on the ball, you can accomplish anything." — Hank Aaron

Communities across the country have begun gathering, sometimes in large auditoriums, sometimes in small support group rooms, sometimes online, to watch Boys of Summer: Short Stop. What started more than 20 years ago as a film about a father and son navigating Parkinson’s disease while visiting all 30 Major League Baseball parks has quietly become something larger: a shared story about resilience, humor, family, and the power of showing up for one another.

In 2026 alone we are honored to host the following screenings (<--click the link for details of each):

• Delta Shadow Boxers – Brentwood, CA

• Stanford Health Library – Palo Alto, CA

• Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health / Cleveland Clinic – Las Vegas, NV

• Capital Area Parkinson’s Society – Austin, TX

• Folsom PD Support Group – Folsom, CA

• Kirk Gibson Foundation – Detroit, MI

• Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon – Northwest Region

• San Andreas PD Support Group – San Andreas, CA

• Harvard Beth Israel – Boston, MA

• Twitchy Woman – Online

• Chick-Fil-A Community Fundraiser – Walnut Creek, CA

• Rock Steady Boxing – Nationwide Online

• UC Davis – Davis, CA

• Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania – Pittsburgh, PA

• Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center – Phoenix, AZ

• Park Merced – Merced, CA

Each screening is a little different. Some include lively Q&A sessions. Others lead to deep conversations about care partnership, identity, and the practical challenges of living with Parkinson’s. Many conclude with laughter, tears, and the quiet realization that none of us are walking this path alone.

And that realization is exactly the point.

Stories That Are Waiting to Be Heard

Parkinson’s disease affects more than ten million people worldwide, yet many people living with it feel invisible. Their daily struggles, triumphs, and humor rarely make headlines. Too often, the narrative around Parkinson’s is dominated by clinical descriptions, medical statistics, or worst-case outcomes.

But anyone living in the Parkinson’s community knows the whole lived experience is far richer than that.

There are stories of creativity, stubborn determination, unexpected joy, and communities forming in the most unlikely places, from boxing gyms to improv stages to baseball stadiums.

The Boys of Summer series has always been about capturing those moments.

From the original 2004 film documenting our 20,000-mile road trip after my father Dan’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, to the later films exploring how the disease has reshaped our lives, the heart of the project has remained the same: showing what it looks like to keep living fully in the face of uncertainty.

The Next Chapter: Boys of Summer: Third Base

All of these screenings are building toward something special. In May 2026, the fourth film in the series, Boys of Summer: Third Base, will premiere at the World Parkinson’s Congress in Phoenix.

If the earlier films were about the adventure of discovery, Third Base is about reflection, legacy, community, amplification of all our voices, and the deeper meaning of the journey. It asks the questions many families living with Parkinson’s eventually face:

What do we do with the time we have? 

How do we keep showing up for one another as things change? 

And how do we transform struggle into something meaningful?

The road to that premiere is paved with the voices of the community itself. Every screening of Short Stop becomes part of the story, another gathering of people sharing laughter, insights, and their own lived experiences with Parkinson’s.

Building Success Stories™

Through my nonprofit, Yes, And…Exercise!, we help people create their own Success Stories™.

A Success Story isn’t about pretending Parkinson’s is easy. Nor is it about retelling rote information. It’s about recognizing the courage and connection people discover while navigating it through the creative powerhouse of aesthetic distance and the hero’s journey. 

These stories emerge when communities gather, when people listen to one another, and when someone who thought their voice didn’t matter suddenly realizes it does.

That’s what these screenings are really about.

They’re not just film events.

They’re spaces where people living with Parkinson’s, care partners, clinicians, and friends can see themselves reflected on screen and then add their own chapter to the larger story.

Join the Journey

As we move toward the Third Base premiere at the World Parkinson’s Congress, we’re continuing to offer screenings of Short Stop to support groups, universities, hospitals, and community organizations.

Because the goal has never been simply to show a film.

The goal is to amplify voices that too often go unheard and to remind each other that even in the face of Parkinson’s disease, our stories still matter.

And when we share them together, something remarkable happens.

They become bigger than any one of us. They become our story. And we rise.

If you'd like to have a screening of Boys of Summer: Short Stop, please contact me, Robert Cochrane, PhD, Director/Producer of the series at: robert@yesandexercise.org.