Despite trials of PD, she wouldn’t change her life

Julie Obreiter
New Hampshire

Year of diagnosis: 2018 at age 44. I had DBS two years ago and started on adaptive DBS (for the third time) in March 2026.

Exercises of choice: Qi gong, free weights, and walking

Favorite outdoor exercise: I do a 2-mile loop around my neighborhood daily.

Favorite place to hike: I’m newish to New Hampshire, so I don’t have a favorite spot yet, but there are few local places near rivers that are very peaceful and have good bird watching.

One of my favorite hikes was on the Big Island of Hawaii. Last April my husband and I celebrated our 10-year anniversary, my birthday (April 24), and my one-year anniversary for DBS surgery. We hiked the Kilauea Iki Crater Rim Trail, which included walking across a solid lava lake. It was challenging yet rewarding. Highlights included beautiful views, diverse ecosystems, and a unique crater walk. The challenges were the steep ascent and decent tails to the floor of the crater lake and uneven trails. I should have had urban poles, but hindsight is 20/20. I was so exhausted at the end. 

Toughest hike and why: The toughest hike was Manitou Incline in Colorado. It’s just one mile in length, but with an average 41% incline (hitting 68% at its steepest) and a 2,000-foot elevation gain. It was such a challenge, and I never want to do it again!

Most proud of related to outdoors: Adding challenges to my walks. I started tossing a ball to help with multi-tasking. It makes me happy when friends/family tell me they enjoy watching my walking videos I post.

Outdoor or exercise gear that is a must: My Apple watch. It tracks my steps and heart rate. One time I fell (dog vs. squirrel) and my watch took over. I was impressed that it detected the fall and asked if I was OK (which I was), and if I didn’t respond in a certain amount of time it would have alerted my emergency contact. Free weights are important to have at home especially during winter months when I can’t walk because of snow or ice.

Advice for someone recently diagnosed who wants to stay active: Find something you enjoy so you stick with it.

Advice for someone with PD who is just starting to exercise: Try Power for Parkinson’s videos on YouTube to get you started, or ask your MDS for a PT referral to help with movement exercises. Power for Parkinson’s has all levels and seated exercises plus circuit training for YOPD. It’s free!!

Biggest challenge with Parkinson’s right now: Motivation and apathy. DBS doesn’t help with nonmotor symptoms. I have to work at motivating myself to get off the couch to do housework, get out of the house, or exercise. I always feel better afterward, but it’s a mental block to get going some days.

How I try to stay positive: I have several ways.

  • Practicing gratitude. It’s easy to say, but hard to do. I had to stop focusing on what I can’t do and focus on what I can do. 
  • I try to surround myself with other positive-minded people within the PD community. 
  • I’ve had a therapist for a few years to help me deal with anxiety, and it’s helped immensely.
  • I’ve recently put limits on the time I spend on social media. With everything that is going on in the world, the algorithms are pushing ads/suggestions are getting more aggressive and weirder.
  • Bird watching. It requires you to be in the moment. I’ve given names to a few who visit my backyard feeder.

Advocacy work for PD: I’m an ambassador for the Davis Phinney Foundation, a support group leader, and I have a YouTube channel for DBS (JulieXYOPD). Recently I represented New Hampshire at the Parkinson’s Policy Forum in Washington, D.C.

Other interests/hobbies: Besides bird watching I enjoy boating.

Career field: I work full-time in a remote position in the travel industry as a partnership account manager. I’ve been in the travel industry my entire 31-year career, and I’ve had the fortune to visit some really great places around the world,

Something the world should know: I accepted my diagnosis years ago, which allowed me to focus on quality of life. I’ve had low points and high points during my journey with YOPD, and I wouldn’t change my life. I’m more conscious of my health (physical and mental), and I’ve developed friendships that I would have never had if I didn’t have YOPD — plus I’ve learned empathy and patience. I’m always inspired by our community.

A woman rests on a sign out hiking.
A woman and man are hiking over a lava field.
Two woman stand on the Manatou Incline, where thousands of setps go up a hill.

Julie rests after hiking the Kilauea Iki Crater Rim Trail, which includes a solid-lava lake. She also tackled the Manitou Incline in Colorado.

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If you have Parkinson’s and the outdoors and exercise are part of your life, you could be featured in Unshakable Voices, too. Email unshakablehiker@gmail.com.