I'm Not Dead Yet! – Details, episodes & analysis

A wildfire can take your house in minutes. What it can’t take—if you fight for it—is your ability to choose what comes next. We open up about losing our Altadena home in the Eaton Fire, the chaotic evacuation with two poodles and two cats, and the gritty, unglamorous path to rebuilding when Parkinson’s is part of daily life. From “well begun is half done” to letting go of what can burn, this conversation moves from shock to action, and from paperwork to purpose.

We break down the steps that turned grief into motion: hiring an architect and contractor within weeks, surviving a nine-month “fast-tracked” permit maze, and navigating two rounds of temporary housing that taught us what accessibility really means. The details matter—no-step entries, wide halls, curbless showers, reachable storage, induction cooking, and lighting that respects tired eyes. These choices aren’t luxuries; they’re the difference between conserving strength for what you love and spending it on doorways and drawers.

There’s a human core to all of it: what you grab when time collapses, how you forgive yourself for what stays behind, and why presence beats perfection. Along the way, there’s real joy—road trips to reconnect, an Iceland photo that placed in a juried show, and the launch of Faces of Parkinson’s, Volume Two. Community shows up too, from neighbors repurposing historic homes to friends who keep asking the right questions.

If you’re staring down big change, here’s a roadmap built from fire and faith: start sooner than you feel ready, design for the body you have and the future you can’t predict, and keep space for art, pets, and laughter. If this story helps you breathe easier or plan smarter, tap follow, share it with someone who needs resilience today, and leave a review so others can find the show.

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

A slipper, a sudden freeze, and a screen that reads “DBS unit failed.” That’s how our morning began—and how years of carefully managed Parkinson’s symptoms vanished in seconds. What follows is an unvarnished look at life when a single device holds up half your world, and what it takes to stand it back up when that device goes dark during the holidays.

We walk through the cascade: dystonia locking all four limbs, a voice reshaped by stimulation, and the way DBS can both give back a life and complicate it. Travis shares how he balanced programming across device manufacturers and a movement disorder team, then layered in a subcutaneous levodopa pump to reclaim smoother movement without sacrificing communication. The tradeoffs are real, but so is the agency—adjust, test, iterate, and prioritize the parts of life that matter most.

Then we get tactical. With surgeons on vacation and insurance ticking over, we mobilized a network: neurology, neurosurgery, device reps, and a primary care fast-pass to complete pre-op in 24 hours. We pulled caregiving into a 40-hour schedule, leaned on friends for the gaps, and kept day jobs and a home rebuild moving after the Eaton Fire. The playbook is simple and hard: be known by your providers, deliver what they need quickly, and never hesitate to ask for help.

Finally, we zoom out to resilience planning. What happens when the internet drops and your phone depends on Wi-Fi? When you rely on a charger you can’t reach? When supply chains squeeze medication access? We share practical steps to eliminate single points of failure—phone trees, battery backups, accessible home design, and written plans—so a flare-up becomes a solvable problem, not a crisis.

If this story resonates, subscribe, share it with someone navigating Parkinson’s or DBS, and leave a review with one contingency you plan to add this week. Your ideas might be the lifeline someone else needs tomorrow.

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

What would you save if a fire threatened to consume everything you hold dear? Join me, Travis Robinson, alongside my co-host Judy Yarris, as we recount the harrowing moments when flames forced Sarah and me from our home in Altadena. From the heart-wrenching choices on what to rescue—my priceless photography gear and Sarah's cherished handmade furniture—to navigating the chaos of evacuation, our story is one of loss, resilience, and gratitude. With Judy's steadfast support, we also tackle the practical challenges that arise, like securing medication and documenting losses for insurance, and find solace in the immense outpouring of support from our community.

As we navigate this challenging chapter of our lives, we’re overwhelmed by the love and assistance we’ve received from friends both near and far. In this episode, we shine a light on the incredible solidarity that has uplifted us, driven by the very connections we have nurtured through our work with individuals living with Parkinson's. A GoFundMe page stands as a testament to this collective kindness, rallying contributions to help us rebuild. Judy and I share our profound gratitude and reflect on how the spirit of giving and solidarity can help us all rise from the ashes, stronger and more united than ever.

LINK To GFM page: https://gofund.me/e3c2cee4

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

In this episode Judy and Travis talk to Charles Schiell, who’s father had Parkinson's Disease. As his father's health declined he would visit and offer a "fresh set of eyes" to observe his father and help to determine where and what kinds of changes his parents could make to their home that would really benefit his father. Through the different levels of care his dad needed, Charles was able to fully adapt their living space to eventually provide full at home hospice care. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Charles as much as we did.

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

Ever experience the feeling that you'd like to start a project but feel overwhelmed when you start thinking about all the steps involved in it? For someone living with a neurological disease that project could be "eat breakfast" or "get dressed to leave the house."
    This episode Judy and Travis discuss how by removing all frivolous brainwidth costs from your daily life you will then have more to spend on things you really care about.

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

In this episode Judy and Travis talk about clearing the physical clutter around your home as a way to not only ensure safety for the PWP (person with Parkinson’s) but also as a way to help clear the mind of clutter so that energy isn't spent looking for stuff in the piles of your mind. 

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

What is it like to climb a mountain with PD? Or with a climbing partner with PD? This episode Judy and Travis have a conversation with Matt MacAller; Travis' friend and partner on his climb of "San G." the tallest mountain in  southern California. At 11,504 ft above sea level San G. stands well above the tree line making it a true alpine climbing experience.

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

The conclusion: In this episode we hear about a day after the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad, day that Travis had. This one ends on a much brighter note. Thank you all for listening. 

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

What happens when you do everything that you are supposed to and your day still goes pearshaped? Listen to Travis describe just such a day. Be sure you tune in next week for part 2 which concludes this story .

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net
  
  
  

On this episode Judy and Travis discuss a new photography award that Travis won fir new work and how important it is to keep learning new stuff.

Enjoy!

• Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
• www.INDYpodcast.net