Ordinary Life: A Podcast About Parkinson's.

Some of us find that Parkinson's slows us down. It's irritating and annoying, but the sooner you learn to forgive yourself for not being super-speedy the easier it gets.

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This episode was first broadcast on 19/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air.

Everyone knows Michael J Fox has a disease. What is it? Oh yeah - that thing old people get, Parkinson's.

We discuss Michael's film 'Still' and our thoughts watching it as people with Parkinson's ourselves.

First broadcast on 3rd March 2025 on Coast Access Radio in NZ.

Are Carers of People With Parkinson's Undervalued? Kitty's friend told her they'd been advised by their partner with Parkinson's that they had no right to complain because it wasn't happening to them. Yet surely carers of Parkinson’s patients tread a tricky tightrope. Torn between sympathy and irritation, grieving the lost plans for their future happiness, are they not deserving of a friendly ear too?

This episode was first broadcast on 12/5/2026 at 2.oopm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On...

It's time to talk mobility aids. Why should we use them, when should we not? Are they good for us, or do they hold, us back mentally and physically? If you have Parkinson’s, how much should we rely on medical assistance instead of exercising?

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This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air.

Emma talks about her return to Auckland hospital to undergo dopamine testing to identify her suitability for Deep Brain Stimulation to help overcome her Parkinson’s symptoms.

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This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air.

It's one thing to sympathise over the very real fears of Parkinson's. It's another to use that fear to scam people with pseudo science and a hefty side order of snake oil. Kitty and Emma talk about the various methods of assistance they've been offered. Grab yourself a plate of kale and discover the as yet undiscovered or lauded cures to all ills.

The very real issue that we enjoy intimacy too! Sex. Not always an easy subject to discuss, but having parkinson's, or any chronic illness doesn't mean you're devoid of wanting close contact with your consenting other.

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This episode was first broadcast on 5/5/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air.

When is honesty not the best policy? We all have our secret worries, fears and desire, but should we put voice to them in public? Opinions are valid, but if they could cause real harm, should they be shared to all? Emma and Kitty discuss an email they read from a respected Parkinson’s group. What are the implications it could have on people with Parkinson's?

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First broadcast on 7th April 2026 at 2pm NZ time, by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM...

Kitty does not read much research. Emma devours it. Is there a happy medium? What is it Kitty is afraid of? Is Emma happier for reading the articles she does?

First broadcast on Coast Access Radio 31/3/2026

Johnny has just undergone Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery to combat his severe dykinesia and symptoms caused by Parkinson’s Disease.

Emma wants to know all, Kitty wonders what it really felt like. How confronting is the process of being awake during brain surgery? How quickly do things change? And how much difference is it already making?

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First broadcast on 24/3/26 2.pm by Coast Access Radio, a Community Access Media Alliance station. Supported by NZ on Air.

What's the Point? It's all a moot argument, isn't it? Parkinson's will get you in the end, so why push back at all? We discuss how we deal with feeling apathetic.

What do you do when people say, "have you tried...?" (insert product name) We talk about how to deal with the endless stream of unsolicited advice about Parkinson’s Disease. How it makes us feel, and why people have the urge to do it at all. Are you a neurology consultant? Bah.

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This episode was first broadcast on 10/3/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air."

We talk to Johnny Boyle of Auckland about life with Parkinson's, and his hopes for improvement as he prepares for Deep Brain Stimulation, major brain surgery to try to reduce his symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

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This episode was first broadcast on 3/3/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air."

There's a huge range of different symptoms caused by Parkinsons, and Kitty and Emma talk about how they experience some and not others at different times. They explain how they try and roll with it. Adapt and keep moving people!

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This episode was first broadcast on 24/2/2026 at pm by Coast Access Radio 104.7 FM, a Community Access Media Alliance station amplifying the voices of Kāpiti and Horowhenua. Supported by NZ On Air."

We're feeling the fear and doing it anyway in this episode! Kitty and Emma talk about how scary it is to be disabled in public, and the various ways we're both showing up in our own lives.

Having a plan and knowing what's right and wrong is great, but who comes up with these great ideas that actually don't help at all? Kitty and Mike talk about examples of some things that are supposed to help keep us safe, but real life doesn't always follow the plan that's been made by others.

Parkinson's is bad enough for those with the disease, but what about those around us? What impact does this have on our children, does it shape their view, affect their day to day lives? We talk to Kitty's daughter Amelia about her thoughts on living with those affected by changing health.

Emma talks about her appointment at Auckland Hospital for Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), an invasive yet effective treatment for the symptoms of Parkinson's. How does she feel, and how does one cope with the prospect of such major surgery?

Contains graphic descriptions of treatments.

Kitty and Mike discuss what they have learned over the year.

Kitty and Mike talk about their 2025 and hopes for 2026. Emma will be back in 2026!

Discussing the mental mind games we play with ourselves, and how other people perceive the cause of our issues.

We talk about the reintroduction of prescription charges and how its increasing the costs of chronic illness on families.

We get riled up about the grim stories about Parkinson's that charities use to attract donations, and how difficult hearing them can be for people trying to live positively with Parkinson's. Are we just being difficult? Or are these contradictory things both true - that it is hard living with Parkinson's AND possible to live positively with it?

Is it a good idea to fess up that you have PD to your boss or prospective employer? What happens if you do and they discriminate against you?

Is honesty the best policy when it comes to opening up to others about your diagnosis? And can you deal with the whispers of sympathy?

How do you cope when you realise that your life is not going to follow the direction you imagined? Emma and Kitty discuss 'self-grief' - their term for this agonising situation. They express their feelings and explain how grief can turn to anger and other emotions.

#kittyandemma #emmaandkitty #kittyd

Inspired after watching a drama that implied that all drugs are bad, Kitty and Emma chat about attitudes towards medication and taking many pills. Is it really acceptable to question if people need the medication they are prescribed? What alternatives are there?

Kitty Fitton is on a mission to prove that disability and illness doesn’t mean the end of life as we know it. She writes about hating exercise, coping with blended families, Parkinson’s, and trying to reach the bottom of the laundry basket.

In this episode the girls talk about the senses and how they may be affected when dealing with Parkinson's.

Kitty and Emma catch up for a debrief on stress in their lives (and how to manage it down) and end up discussing disability parking.

Kitty Fitton is on a mission to prove that disability and illness doesn’t mean the end of life as we know it. She writes about hating exercise, coping with blended families, Parkinson’s, and trying to reach the bottom of the laundry basket.

Mike, Kitty and Emma discuss the impact of Mike's out of hospital cardiac arrest, and how he often feels that he has no support network of his own.

In this heartfelt episode of Ordinary Life, Kitty and Emma welcome back Kitty’s husband, Mike, to share his remarkable story of survival after a sudden cardiac arrest in 2020. One moment he was racing his motorbike; the next, he was clinically dead for over half an hour. Against all odds, Mike pulled through — but life since has been far from simple.

Together, the trio talk about trauma, recovery, invisible disabilities, and redefining identity after life-changing events. Mike opens up about brain fatigue, loss of work, and the slow process of accepting a “new normal,” while Kitty and Emma ref...

Kitty and Emma discuss the many ways that Parkinson's steals away our precious time.

In this episode we discuss what things we have promised ourselves... that are still on thie list.

Kitty and Emma discuss managing medication and dealing with 'drop offs' when they just don't seem to work any more.

In this episode we discuss the rock and hard place of wanting people to be compassionate when we tell them that we have Parkinson's, while also getting regularly annoyed when they do!

Kitty and Emma discuss food, diet and how it impacts their life with Parkinson's.

An irreverant look at life with chronic illness with Kitty Doyle (FItton) and Emma Kyriacou.

Kitty and Emma discuss how they felt upon finding their diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. Offering an irreverent look at real life with a chronic illness, there's serious information mixed with fun and laughter.

#kittyfitton #parkinsons #radioshow #ordinarylife #disability #chronicillness #realwomen #yopd #invisibledisability #parkinsonsdisease #kittyd #kittydoyle #ordinarylife

rhubarb

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Kitty and Kevin.

Keep up with Kitty via her website Instagram Facebook and Twitter.