John Cullen was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2015 at age 56. As the son of a U.S. Marine Corps colonel, Cullen maintains a warrior mindset and faces his adversity with grit, courage, and humor. In 2019 he created his mantra, ‘It’s Just Parkinson’s’ (IJP), the philosophy he uses as he battles this incurable disease. This mindset later led to the feature-length documentary It’s Just Parkinson’s.
In Unbreakable, Cullen pulls no punches as he lays out his strategies for surviving adversity and how they can be applied to anyone in all walks of life. His partner, Pattie Stoffel also provides invaluable advice in her caregiver chapter.
The IJP mindset is growing worldwide and inspired Cullen to write this book.
विषयसूची
Forward by Diana Nyad
Preface
Chapter One: One in a million
Chapter Two: You’ve received life-changing news – now what?
Chapter Three: How to move forward when your future is in doubt
Chapter Four: Acknowledge and embrace change
Chapter Five: Depression – it may be more than just feeling sad
Chapter Six: You are not alone
Chapter Seven: Own your adversity
Chapter Eight: Get smart – knowledge is power
Chapter Nine: How Parkinson’s has enriched my life
Chapter Ten: Never give up – never surrender
Chapter Eleven: A caregiver’s perspective by Pattie Stoffel
Poem: I’m Still Here
Appendix: A letter to my younger self
Acknowledgments
About the Author
About the Logo
लेखक के बारे में
John Cullen was born in Quantico, Virginia in 1959. As the son of a U.S. Marine Corps colonel, his family moved frequently during his childhood. Cullen later settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he raised his daughters, Mimi and Julia, and worked as the Chief Financial Officer for an online tech software company. After 20 years, he took early retirement in 2011. Four years later while cycling the Pyrenees in France, Cullen knew something was wrong. Upon his return to the United States, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. An avid athlete his whole life, John has participated in over 200 running and cycling races, and over a dozen obstacle races. Cullen has slowly had to relinquish many of these athletic pursuits due to Parkinson’s. In 2019 he started powerlifting. To his surprise, he discovered that lifting heavy weights stressed his central nervous system, which helped set back some of his Parkinson’s symptoms. In 2019 Cullen created the mantra, ‘It’s Just Parkinson’s’ (IJP), the philosophy he uses as he battles this incurable disease. In 2021, this mindset led to the feature-length documentary It’s Just Parkinson’s, which chronicles Cullen’s journey living with Parkinson’s and the importance of this IJP mindset to survive adversity. The documentary highlights the discovery that powerlifting dramatically improves his mobility. The film has been featured in several North American film festivals and has inspired individuals from all walks of life. The Instagram account @itsjustparkinsons cultivates a worldwide community of individuals with an IJP mindset and is growing each day.A role model to many, Cullen is a sought-after media source and public speaker. He lives in Sanibel, Florida with his loving partner Pattie. Visit www.itsjustparkinsons.com to watch Cullen’s documentary It’s Just Parkinson’s.