World’s Toughest Row with Brendan Cusick and Pat Morrissey: Part Two

Episode Transcript

Dr. Correa:
From the American Academy of Neurology, I'm Dr. Daniel Correa...

Dr. Peters:
And I am Dr. Katy Peters, and this is the Brain & Life Podcast.

Dr. Correa:
Welcome back. We all have busy lives, and often or sometimes, our plans just go out the window. In fact, Katy is joining us from inside her car today. What dedication?

Dr. Peters:
Oh, yes, I'm in my car. Sometimes we have to be remote when we're traveling from different work sites in order to see our patients, meet up on projects, all the things that require us to do our jobs. But it's so important to stay in touch with all of our listeners and to stay in touch with you, Daniel, and to give you some great stories and medical wisdom. And of course, we always get medical wisdom from Dr. Correa. And it's just so hard to imagine being out at sea, I can't even escape the confines of my car today. So I'm so in awe of people's resiliency and bravery in the face of both medical problems and neurologic challenges.

Dr. Correa:
And so those of you who caught last week's episode, you know that, this week, we are going back to finish our discussion with Brendan and Patrick in a part two, and they're going to be sharing about their training for and completing an amazing rowing adventure from California to Hawaii, all while Patrick is living with Parkinson's. In this part two, Patrick shares some of his own experience with the day-to-day management of his symptoms, how they had to consider and plan for those during their training, and then later after they were at sea for 41 days. Then we will return to our medical expert, Dr. Jori Fleisher, as she discusses the variety of symptoms and management options that she has to consider and work with to help people and their families manage the condition of Parkinson's. Then she shares some considerations for families and caregiver support. But make sure you didn't miss part one. Go back, catch that, add this episode to your playlist. Stick with us for this whole episode. We really thought it was such great content, we just couldn't cut enough out and we went for part one and part two.
So thank you so much for listening and for participating in this community. Pat, you mentioned already how the rowing, of course, when you're not in the hot peak of stress, it has improved often your tremors, sometimes it goes away completely. And we've talked about in several of our other episodes about living with Parkinson's disease, how it's not just the movements. Before this exercise and earlier in your diagnosis, did you have issues with your mood, anxiety, depression, any of the stomach and gut issues related to your Parkinson's, any of the issues with blood pressure or any other symptoms that don't really get talked about often, but I'd like to understand and hear from you how they were in response to your rowing and how you managed those during the course and the route.

Pat Morrissey:
So, yeah. They're the tough ones to talk about. The pre-row, my anxiety, it was something that I'd never have had and didn't understand until even recently. And that was one of probably the biggest impacts of me and my work. I was at a high-level position and very stressful position, did a lot of presentations. I was out in front of everybody an awful lot, and the combination of the stress would come out in my tremor, and then it would compound, my stress would get higher, and then my tremor would get higher, just cycle into a point where I would almost become unable to move. That was something that I'm still dealing with today and trying to understand how to handle that.
My gut system doesn't work real well, or it's working, but it has issues. And so that is something that goes along with it. I have a hard time swallowing sometimes, and that is a weird one for me, and it comes on when I'm least expecting. So that's something that we had to work with. And then I get real stiff on my right side. It's just real tight when it gets really stressed out when I'm off medicine. But when I'm on medicine, it controls it pretty well. So during the row, we had to manage that in a lot of different ways. What we found out as a team is they had to keep me away from as much stress as possible. So any major stressful situation that we could control, the three of those guys handled, and if it was navigation, comm, things on the boat. And as long as we managed that and I didn't get too wound up, we were able to manage pretty well.
So my job was eat, sleep, drink, make water and row, and the other guys handled almost everything else. And there were a lot of really big decisions that we had to make out there and I trusted them 100% and they just did it and they made every decision perfect. Really, it's when I look back at it and a lot of the decisions were for me. And so, luckily, we do have two of the other... Peter and Scott are ER doctors, so that really helped the situation. But Brendan, being our skipper and basically being the lead on the boat, the three of those guys were able to understand my situation and help me through it as best we could. And we weren't prepared for a lot of this through our training rows. And so there's a lot of stuff we had to handle out on the ocean and those guys are just great. I don't know, B, if you have any other things to add to that.

Brendan Cusick:
I think you really laid it out perfectly. And I know Pat felt a little isolated at times because we would make some decisions and he came as a leader in the organization and just really wanted that engagement, but we recognized how important it was and how painful that was to not be a part of that, but how good it was to remove him from some of the decisions just because it was going to alleviate some of that stress.
And one thing I will add is that I tried to emphasize with all the guys going into this was just to really bring forward a good mindfulness practice and going into this to just recognize that whatever we're in, we're going to have to manage when we're out there. And you can't fight it, you just have to go with it. And that was hard and it was certainly challenging for all of us because you're in a depleted mental state just with lack of sleep and the physical exertion. And the first week was epic in terms of conditions and it really all came forward right at the beginning of the row. And to just be thrown right into the fire in full heat was intense, but we all recognized that we just had to do what needed to be done and just keep moving that boat forward, and handled it really well I think.

Dr. Correa:
And, Pat, as you reflect back in the time since the row, are there things that you learned in the training and during the row about managing your symptoms that you've taken now into your [inaudible 00:08:04]?

Pat Morrissey:
Yes. One of the big things that I... I knew it was a big thing, but I didn't understand how big it was was stress and how that impacts everybody's life, but with Parkinson's, it brings it to another level. And that is something I'm working on really on a daily basis right now, trying to understand like we did on the row of what my level is to be able to get through a day, a week, month sustainable and not go through some of my major ups and downs that it brings to me and Parkinson's, some of the symptoms that I have. So we knew stress was a big part of it, but I didn't understand how big a part of it is related to what I'm going through. And so I'm really working on that. If it's mindfulness, if it's yoga, if it's exercise, I'm working on some neurofeedback, some items like that that helped me slow things down and really recognizing when I start going through those situations.
We were at a wonderful Michael J. Fox gala this weekend and it was just a very incredible, incredible weekend. But there were some stressful situations and moments through that that I was able to work through some of them with some of the techniques that I've been working on that really helped out. So just recognizing when you're getting in that moment and taking a little time. Brendan's such a great... He doesn't talk about it, but he's a life coach also and he's able to spot when I'm starting to go cycle and help me through that, my wife's starting to learn how to catch me, the friends and family around me see those things. So it takes a community for sure, but I've got some... You put yourself around the right people and you can do anything.

Dr. Correa:
Yeah. I mean, you guys put yourself in a boat with three other guys and just found a way to do it. But, Brendan, you helped coordinate this team and the communication of four total individuals of just incredibly experienced, accomplished, unique and strong individual... And perspectives in individuals, but what did either of you learn about communication together as a team on the trip that you have taken into your homes, and to the partners, and those that you love in your life that are not just the men that you're out there isolated? As much as that's a difficult environment, you have one single task. The rest of our days in our lives, we're juggling so many other things.

Brendan Cusick:
You really hit it right there, which is that it really comes back to simplifying things. And as a team, there's a couple of things that we really did is that we were, from very early on, very communicative, very vulnerable with each other, very honest, whether how each person received it was within their own emotional capacity at the time. And then out there, and then coming back as it were, I think the biggest thing is really just taking one thing at a time. If I parallel that with the crossing, it's this day, the ocean is horrific and it's really thrown a lot at us, but all we can do is take one oar stroke at a time and just count that as a blessing or make sure you get your food down and get as much sleep as possible.
And it's the same thing at home. I see, whether it's my kids getting worked up over homework or my wife stressing about her work, it's just taking one thing at a time and just applying yourself to that, and the next thing will come. And whether it's good, bad or otherwise, we can just embrace it and just move through that particular item. And I think that's probably one of the bigger things that I took forward. Don't look ahead, just focus on what you can right now. Because I think by doing that, it just alleviates a lot of trying to juggle 100 things at once, which we all know is impossible.

Dr. Correa:
And, Pat, do you feel like you've been able to incorporate a change into the communication and coordination with your partner and with your family?

Pat Morrissey:
Definitely. My family, one of the things that we realized as a team is our family went through an awful lot and through this journey as much or more than we did in some aspects, and it has opened up a whole level of communication with... I know with myself and my wife and my kids, we're just talking this weekend openly about just so much more than we used to about everything and just being open, and talking, and being comfortable in that environment to be able to have that discussion. And that's something that I learned out on the ocean with these three guys is I was never able to do that. I never able to cry and now I cry at everything. And that's okay. Sometimes you need to just do that and let it out. So it's been a great learning lesson on openness.

Dr. Correa:
If we could take you back, you got that early advice from that first doctor that gave you the early Parkinson's diagnosis, but if you were going to be there in the room to give Patrick Morrissey of those years ago some advice about moving forward with the condition and with the diagnosis, what would you offer him or any other new individual receiving a diagnosis?

Pat Morrissey:
Well, first of all, I think the two items that that doctor gave me were precious. We'll just start with those that were given, exercise and truly finding a team of doctors that can help you through this, but also that Parkinson's doesn't define you and doesn't define what you can do, and enjoy life and keep exploring and doing what you want to do. Put yourself around the right people and you can do anything and keep moving forward.

Dr. Correa:
The two of you, your team, along with many other athletes and individuals as a part of Team Fox have inspired so many people to do more and take on challenges. For those living with a Parkinson's diagnosis, do either of you have suggestions of things that they should consider if they're going to be taking on a new challenge, whatever it is, whether it's a rowing challenge or any other challenge in sports, endurance, and adventure?

Brendan Cusick:
As Pat was just alluding to, don't hold yourself back, don't define yourself by the diagnosis. And that's really what we've witnessed with Pat and I've seen with other friends is move forward and explore those dreams. Make them become reality. And I think it's all too easy to see it as a barrier to your potential. And we're honored that we've been able to inspire so many. I mean, it's written on the side of our boat, inspired to endure. And we were inspired by all of those people who took the initiative to do their own thing while we were out rowing. And likewise, we were so honored to be able to inspire them to get out and do what they saw that they were capable of doing. So, really, seeing what the human potential has out there is just remarkable, and you can really do anything if you put your mind and heart into it. I truly believe that.

Dr. Correa:
$42.8 million is amazing to contribute to Parkinson's research. But I would actually venture to say that among all the people living with Parkinson's disease, their family, and all the people that are impacted around them in their lives, that, hopefully, there's the potential that your effort and achievement inspires far more than 42 million people. But as you have heard after this effort from people in the community, what have you learned from them about the impact of seeing this effort being completed by someone living with [inaudible 00:16:16]?

Pat Morrissey:
It's humbling of what I have seen happen through this campaign. It started with just a idea that we've came up with and small numbers and grown into this incredible wave of people that have inspired each other. And I talked about that a little bit on the boat of if hopefully I can inspire one person, and they can inspire one person, and they can inspire one person, and it's giving forward and, ultimately, it just becomes this amazing wave of inspiration that just gets millions of people. And that just has been so great to me to watch. And I truly believe that it has worked that way, that everybody that I talk to talks about they're trying to inspire somebody else because of what maybe they've seen. And that, to me, is more than the row itself, just continuing to reach forward and, hopefully, that will continue forever.

Dr. Correa:
Well, Patrick and Brendan, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for sharing your time, everything that you have learned, and your inspiration with all of us, keeping us moving the boat forward one oar at a time so that we can all think of and reflect on how to live better with neurologic disorders.

Brendan Cusick:
Thank you for having us. Really appreciate the time.

Pat Morrissey:
Yes, thank you...

Dr. Correa:
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Last week, we heard from Dr. Jori Fleisher, a movement disorder specialist at RUSH University Medical Center, and we're having her back to finish this discussion on Brendan and Patrick's experience and to share some about the day-to-day management of living with Parkinson's. Her work emphasizes that there's always something that can be done to help those with Parkinson's and their families. Any transition, especially anyone trying to increase their activity levels or exercise now in the new year, start to find out there's some questions and challenges with nutrition, about the time of day that you choose to do your movement and your activities, and Parkinson's impacts and affects so many systems in the body. How do you talk with individuals living with Parkinson's and their families about some of the decisions around their nutrition?

Dr. Fleisher:
So I think, first, we want to make sure people are really well hydrated, right? Nutrition, we need to include hydration in that. It's very common for people to be dehydrated. People can drop their blood pressure related to Parkinson's. So the last thing we want is someone going in and feeling lightheaded or passing out with whatever exercise they're doing. So hydration absolutely needs to be critical and everyone is different with Parkinson's or without Parkinson's. There are some folks who are happy to exercise on an empty stomach, but I think recognizing whether you feel good that way or not is important.
Usually, our dietician will tell people, "Go ahead and make sure that you've got something in your system, ideally something with protein that will keep you going." And then I think the question is with meds. So for many people with Parkinson's, they may be taking medications to replace their dopamine and they may take multiple doses during the day and not feel a clear difference from any one time to the next. And that can be pretty common early in the course of the disease. As time goes on, people can develop what are called motor fluctuations, which means the med kicks in, it's absorbed in your system, and you notice a change where the slowness, the stiffness, maybe the tremor that was there before is now gradually responding to the medication and those symptoms go away. And so it's easier to move.
So for a lot of folks, if they're noticing that there are clear times of day when the meds are working and the person feels on, so we describe them as on and off times, that we want to either plan to work out during on time or if, for example, they really want to go to a specific Zumba class and that Zumba class is going to fall during a classic off time for them where their meds are wearing off, well then that's something to talk with the doc about and say, "How can I adjust my medications?" Right? Because we want you to be able to do the things you want to do, all of it, especially the exercise. So maybe that means shifting doses a little bit earlier, maybe that means scooting the doses a little bit closer together. But, ideally, people have the best possible mobility, when they're exercising, so that they can get the most out of it and they can be the safest possible.

Dr. Correa:
In my learning over time as a neurologist and really learning from individuals living with movement disorders is just how significant I've learned the movement disorder is itself work on the body and the muscles.

Dr. Fleisher:
Absolutely. I mean, the muscles are, for a lot of people, just constantly active, even if the person is in a position where they feel like they're at rest. Right? So someone might be sitting in a chair, but they could be having dyskinesias, these excess involuntary movements that are dance-like, wiggly movements, and that's extra muscle movement, which means they're burning calories. So speaking to the importance, again, of making sure that they're getting appropriate nutrition, they're getting protein, they're staying hydrated because they're burning stuff off. They could be sweating. We think about exercise, but that's adding it on top of sometimes struggling to do basic movements that the rest of us really take for granted.

Dr. Correa:
One of the other things that Patrick talked about and shared is another aspect of just coordinating our life and time and how he had to so intentionally think about and work on their training about when he slept and rested. So where does that fit in in managing Parkinson's?

Dr. Fleisher:
Oh, my gosh. So sleep, I mean, that could be its own whole podcast. But Parkinson's really likes to mess with sleep. In every possible way, it affects the ability to fall asleep. So all of our brains naturally secrete a neurochemical called melatonin, and it's the chemical that says like, "All right, it's sleepy time, we're going to get ready to fall asleep." Right? And people with Parkinson's, their brains make melatonin just not at the same level as they used to. So some people can have trouble falling asleep, some people can fall asleep okay, but they may wake up frequently throughout the night either because their bladder is waking them up, they need to go to the bathroom, or sometimes they're stiff and they're slow and they're unable to turn over in bed comfortably, and that could wake them up. Sometimes people are having really vivid dreams or nightmares can become more common, and so that could wake them up and they have trouble falling back asleep.
Sometimes people wake early in the morning, 3:00, 4:00 in the morning, and just can't fall back asleep. They're up for the day that early. And people can have what's called REM behavior disorder, rapid eye movement behavior disorder. So in the phase of sleep when all of us are normally dreaming, there's a switch in the brain that basically turns off so that we could dream about playing basketball. But if someone were to walk into your bedroom while you were dreaming, they wouldn't know because you'd just be laying there quietly. But in people with Parkinson's and some of the related disorders, that switch doesn't flip. And so they're dreaming about playing basketball and they may be actively dribbling, but they're dribbling and it's their bed partner next to them, or they dream that someone is chasing them and they may jump up out of bed still in that dream and fall or crash into a window or a wall.
So there's all kinds of ways that sleep can be really disturbed in Parkinson's. And we can partner with sleep specialists. We can do a lot of simple things around sleep hygiene to try to help people sleep better. The better you sleep, the better your mobility the next day. So, absolutely, if you're going to row across the ocean, you got to find some way to get really good high quality sleep. And there are a lot of things that we can do. We don't necessarily recommend over-the-counter stuff to knock people out, but there are ways that we can replace melatonin if people are missing and make smart choices about medications and non-medication treatments to help people sleep better. We want to make sure people don't have sleep apnea, which is something that can be associated with Parkinson's and treat that if it's there, because even just that can make a huge difference to how someone is feeling.
So I've got folks that were undiagnosed, they swore up and down, they did not snore, they never stopped breathing during their sleep. And then lo and behold, a partner comes in at the next visit and goes, "Oh, yeah, they snore like a train. Absolutely." And we get a sleep study and lo and behold, they've got sleep apnea. We start CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure, and the person's like, "I don't think I've slept like that in years. I can't remember the last time that I slept so well and I actually felt rested in the morning." And then the person's Parkinson's symptoms improve without me touching their medications. So really critical. And I think I can imagine rowing across the ocean, but even in daily life, if people are traveling, this can be a really big challenge. If someone is crossing time zones, sleep can get really disturbed.
So talking with your neurologist before, especially a big crossing multiple time zones kind of trip, what should you do, when should you try to adjust to the time zone that you're going to, is this something that... "Should I take melatonin as I'm going someplace and how do I do that and what's the right dose for me?" Those are really good conversations to have before a big trip to help set you up for success so that you can actually enjoy the destination once you get there.

Dr. Correa:
That sounds amazing. And I want to encourage people to be able to explore and do and live the things that excite them. And so the opportunity to really talk about how to travel and manage your current symptoms, and your medications, and your sleep schedule seems like such a great place to talk about really more positive things with your doctor moving forward. Now, what if we had a little bit more of an adventurist like Patrick and they're maybe traveling to a place that's a little more isolated, is there more consideration and discussion and other things that you would talk about with them?

Dr. Fleisher:
So number one is bring all of your meds with you in your carry-on bag. There is no more surefire way to ensure that your luggage gets lost than putting your medications in your checked bags. Don't put it in your check bags, put it in your carry-on luggage. That stays with you. And especially if you're going to another country, different countries have different Parkinson's medications available and not. So bring enough for the duration of your trip and maybe a couple of days extra just in case you get stranded. But have those on you. Bring a medication list so that, in case of emergency, if you're in a healthcare facility, they know what you are supposed to be on. I think those are really important. Make sure you've got a water bottle so that you can stay hydrated no matter where you go. That's really important. And so you can take your medications wherever you are. That's important.
And then I think making sure that when people travel, it's not uncommon, and folks who don't have Parkinson's, that air travel, changing time zones, things like that, eating different foods can sometimes mess with bowel and bladder. And bowel and bladder can be really affected in people with Parkinson's. Particularly constipation is a big issue. So if you usually have some concoction of prunes or you have a specific brand that you take every morning with your yogurt, thinking about, "Can I bring some of those things with me? Can I bring some of the [inaudible 00:29:49] that might help?" Because it may be different in another place and that's not a reason anyone wants to wind up in the emergency room, especially in a different location far from home. So sticking with that regular regimen, wherever you are.

Dr. Correa:
An idea I just had listening to you that I learned from my own adventure of traveling to places to do a marathon is you could look ahead at to where you're traveling to see what kinds of things might be available in the stores or locally, and then even order them and try them out how they work for you when you're at home. If you want to have that as an option about where you're going and understanding how certain foods, or if you usually have prunes, but there's some other dried fruit or other option where you're going, then you can order those brands or those things and try that out. That might work well for some individuals.

Dr. Fleisher:
And I've had folks that they'll travel. I had someone and they were on a trip in Latin America and they came back and they were like, "Do you know about papaya?" And papaya is really well-recognized as a natural food that can really help constipation. And it was just not part of this person's typical diet, and they had a lot of that where they were in Latin America, and it just really opened their eyes. So bring what you know and learn from wherever you're going.

Dr. Correa:
So now we've talked about exercise, nutrition, sleep, managing bowel and bladder, and how all these things can impact someone's symptoms and their movement with Parkinson's, but sometimes it's also the change in progression over time. How do you manage that discussion and figuring and teasing apart what's going on when someone living with Parkinson's has a change in symptoms over time?

Dr. Fleisher:
The first branch point in that discussion is is this a change that's happened suddenly? So something that changes over hours or a day or two. Because Parkinson's and the related disorders are slowly progressive neurologic illnesses. There is no, "I woke up one morning and." That just doesn't happen. I joke that even though these dopamine neurons are shutting down, they're not unionized. They don't just all go on strike on a Friday afternoon at 4:30. It sometimes feels like that on the outpatient side because often that's when we get a call of, "I have been," or, "My loved one has been suddenly moving slower, falling more, more confused." Something suddenly changes.
And when that happens over the course of hours or a day or two, always, always, always we think infection, we think constipation, we think dehydration, we think, "Did a medication change? Was something stopped? Was something started? Did something change? Was there an error at the pharmacy? Was there something over the counter that someone started taking that could have caused a sudden change?" So those are really important questions. Recognizing that Parkinson's is not going to change overnight. And if it seems like it just did, then as much as my folks will call me as their neurologist and I encourage them to, because I want to know, I will say, "I want you to call your primary care doc. You need to go get tested, make sure that there's no urinary tract infection, make sure there's no pneumonia. Are you up to date on your vaccines?" Because in someone with neurologic illness, the first signs and symptoms of an infection are not going to be the usual things that we think to look for.
So in a urinary tract infection, for example, we would assume it burns when you pee or it's a different color or it smells funky. If we wait until those symptoms arise, then we are several days behind. Because things will show up first with, "My Parkinson's... Suddenly, my movements are worse. My tremor is worse out of nowhere. I'm having trouble moving, my feet are sticking to the ground and they didn't use to do this," or, "My loved one is hallucinating and they've never hallucinated before." So those should be the things that if this is sudden, always, always, always think infection.When things are more subtle and they're gradual changes over months, over years, we know that people's dopamine production is gradually decreasing. And as I said before, we don't have a medication right now that stops this in its tracks, but most of the medications that we use are aiming to replace to mimic the dopamine that you used to make with dopamine that we can give you.
And so as time goes on, if you are making less, then we just replace that and give you a bit more. I liken this sometimes too, if people have hypothyroid. If their thyroid levels are low, right? We check them and say, "We think you need this much." We don't have a good way in Parkinson's. We don't have a blood test to say, "Ah, your dopamine level is this," and then we give you back a certain dose and we check it again and go, "Aha, we've hit the right level." We don't have that. What we have is we give people back dopamine in the medications. And then, clinically, it's a question of, "How are you functioning?" Right? And if you're functioning well, then we're at the right level. And as time goes on, if you're making less, you're going to slow down. And it's not a sign of anything wrong that you've done. It's not a sign that the medicines have stopped working. That's a big myth out there. The meds don't stop working.
It's like a math problem. Right? If you're making your own dopamine, and that's A, and we want to get you to C, which is 100%, we need to add in B. And if we keep B amount of medicine, but A, what you're making, is changing over time and A is getting less, then A plus B isn't going to always equal C, even though that dose of medicine hasn't changed. And so we can't, we wish we could, increase A, but we can increase B. So talking with the doc about what is it that's changing, what are you struggling with, and how can we adjust the medications, how can we adjust therapies. So physical therapy can be tremendously powerful, occupational speech therapy, all of these disciplines have so much to add and really work well together.

Dr. Correa:
Now we talked about how in the short term or the acute changes that someone might notice from day to day, Patrick, in his situation, was out in the Pacific, and so he had to have already plans and really a conversation with his team about how they would manage things when they come up. But for others, when they're traveling, they do have the option. We don't want them to end up in the emergency room, but they have that option. And I know with many other neurologic conditions, sometimes people travel with a letter or some more information beyond just their medication list. Everybody should have their medication list-

Dr. Fleisher:
Yes. Yes.

Dr. Correa:
With some helpful information or even medicines to avoid, do you find that information summary or a doctor's letter might be helpful for people?

Dr. Fleisher:
So helpful. I think you can ask your doctor for that. Thankfully, there are some really great examples that many of the different foundations have published. So Michael J. Fox has a great letter that people can print out. Parkinson's Foundation, Davis Phinney Foundation, lots of them have examples of this. So even if it's not personalized to you, it's a great start. And it lists, it is important that someone with Parkinson's gets their medicines on time, not at the time that's convenient for the hospital staff, at the time that the person with Parkinson's gets their meds. And it may not be exactly perfect, but working towards perfect, knowing that you can advocate for yourself in the hospital and having a list of medicines that you absolutely should not get is also really critical.

Dr. Correa:
Thank you so much, Jori, for everything that you're doing to support and work alongside that team at the AIMS Clinic and everything that you're doing to learn more about improving quality of life for so many.

Dr. Fleisher:
Oh, you're so welcome. It's my pleasure. And I do it because I'm so inspired by our community, and thanks so much for the opportunity and thank you for all you do. The podcast is amazing.

Dr. Correa:
Thank you again for joining us today on the Brain & Life Podcast. Follow and subscribe to this podcast so you don't miss our weekly episodes. You can also sign up to receive the Brain and Life Magazine for free at brainandlife.org.

Dr. Peters:
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Dr. Correa:
You can also find that information in our show notes, and you can follow Katy and me and the Brain and Life Magazine on any of your preferred social media channels. We are your hosts, Dr. Daniel Correa, connecting with you from New York City and online at neurodrcorrea.

Dr. Peters:
And Dr. Katy Peters joining you from Durham, North Carolina and online at KatyPetersMDPhD.

Dr. Correa:
Most importantly, thank you and all of our community members that trust us with their health and everyone living with neurologic conditions.

Dr. Peters:
We hope, together, we can take steps to better brain health and each thrive with our own abilities every day.

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World’s Toughest Row with Brendan Cusick and Pat Morrissey: Part Two

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