Welcome

Meet Dawn Dunkin

Hi there, my name is Dawn and I’d love to tell you a bit about myself. I was born in the Midwest, raised my 3 children in California, and now live with my beloved Doug, who has Parkinson’s, on beautiful Cape Cod.

We moved here because well… it is just gorgeous but also to be closer to Doug’s family. Living and caring for a loved one with PD takes a village, and my guy has a pretty amazing village.

I feel like I’ve lived many lives…

My main career was raising 3 beautiful children. Truly the best job I’ve ever had. They are all grown up now so I guess I am what you call an ’empty nester’. I do miss them but I love watching my children carve out beautiful lives of their own.

Years ago I worked as a professional dancer, which is how I ended up living in California. When I became too old to continue my dancing career, in my mid-20s – ha!, I hung up my dancing shoes and worked as a physical fitness trainer. That was the start of me really learning how to take care of my body and physical health.

Today I am a nurse and hold licenses in both California and Massachusetts. When I lived in Cali I worked as a pediatric hematology oncology nurse and a lifestyle medicine practitioner. Here on the Cape, I still work in lifestyle medicine, but I also care for my guy with PD.

I created this website to support caregivers from all walks of life, not just those taking care of loved ones with Parkinson’s. As Rosalynn Carter said,

There are only four kinds of people in the world. Those who have been caregivers. Those who are currently caregivers. Those who will be caregivers, and those who will need a caregiver.

Rosalynn carter

The kitchen is my favorite room in the house…

In some form or fashion, I have been in the healthcare industry all my adult life. My passion is health, and that includes nourishing, nutritious food, and learning to live joyfully in all areas of life – mind, body, and spirit.

The kitchen is my favorite room in the house, and inevitably you will find me working and experimenting on some nutritious recipe, such as my delicious mushroom marinara pasta, or this decadent hummus that is out of this world!

Also, and I think this is because of my nursing background, I tend to nerd out on health research. I will definitely go down the rabbit hole on PubMed for any health-related topic. Such as my blog post on sleep to beat disease, or how to crush feeling lonely as a caregiver.