Defiant Truths by Richie Pikunis
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Today’s Defiant Truth · #046

The Eye Chart Can Be Right and Still Miss the Problem.

Parkinson’s can affect blinking, eye movement, focusing and visual processing even when eyesight still looks acceptable on a standard chart. Seeing clearly is not the same as seeing easily.

September 21, 2026Vision, Eye Movement & Hidden Effort4 min read
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A warm-ivory cup appears in a subtle deep-crimson double image on a charcoal table while an antique-gold optical lens brings only the center into alignment
DEFIANT TRUTH · #046
The Eye Chart Can Be Right and Still Miss the Problem.
Seeing is more than sharpness.
No pity.✦No platitudes.✦No performative optimism.✦Just the truth—and a reason to keep living it.
01 / THE ARCHIVE

Every truth.
No sugarcoating.

Search by the thing you’re living through, not the thing someone thinks you should learn from it.

A warm-ivory cup appears in a subtle deep-crimson double image on a charcoal table while an antique-gold optical lens brings only the center into alignmentDEFIANT TRUTH · #046
The Eye Chart Can Be Right and Still Miss the Problem.Seeing is more than sharpness.
September 21, 2026Vision, Eye Movement & Hidden Effort

The Eye Chart Can Be Right and Still Miss the Problem.

Parkinson’s can affect blinking, eye movement, focusing and visual processing even when eyesight still looks acceptable on a standard chart. Seeing clearly is not the same as seeing easily.

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Latest
An oversized deep-crimson tailored jacket hangs from a warm-ivory dress form in a charcoal tailor’s studio while a restrained-gold measuring tape lies loose on the floorDEFIANT TRUTH · #045
Please Stop Congratulating the Weight Loss You Didn’t Ask About.Ask before you praise.
September 20, 2026Weight, Nutrition & Unseen Risk

Please Stop Congratulating the Weight Loss You Didn’t Ask About.

Unplanned weight loss can be a Parkinson’s symptom, a treatment effect or a sign of something else that needs attention. Outsiders see a smaller body and offer praise; the person may be losing strength along with pounds.

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An antique-gold emergency brake stands pulled on a charcoal control bench while its deep-crimson cable hangs disconnected beside an ivory gauge needle beyond the safe rangeDEFIANT TRUTH · #044
The Medication Helped Me Move. Nobody Was Watching the Brakes.Watch the urges, not just the movement.
September 19, 2026Medication, Impulse Control & Accountability

The Medication Helped Me Move. Nobody Was Watching the Brakes.

Impulse-control changes can hide behind a Parkinson’s treatment that is helping movement. Outsiders see reckless choices; the person and family may be watching a medication side effect become real damage.

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A nearly full warm-ivory glass of water ripples on a charcoal conference table surrounded by empty chairs in restrained gold lightDEFIANT TRUTH · #043
Watching Me Harder Will Not Make My Body Behave.Less pressure. More room.
September 18, 2026Stress, Scrutiny & Symptom Fluctuation

Watching Me Harder Will Not Make My Body Behave.

Stress and scrutiny can temporarily amplify Parkinson’s symptoms. Outsiders may see failure, inconsistency or exaggeration. The pressure of being watched can become part of what the body is fighting.

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An anonymous warm-ivory sculptural portrait with subtle texture at the hairline is examined by restrained gold light against deep-crimson velvet and charcoal shadowDEFIANT TRUTH · #042
Dandruff Is Not a Character Reference.Treat the skin. Drop the verdict.
September 17, 2026Skin, Seborrheic Dermatitis & Stigma

Dandruff Is Not a Character Reference.

Parkinson’s is associated with skin changes, including seborrheic dermatitis. Outsiders may see flakes or oil and assume neglect. The visible symptom becomes a verdict the person never earned.

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An antique-gold button rests just outside the buttonhole of a warm-ivory shirt cuff crossed by one deep-crimson thread on a charcoal surfaceDEFIANT TRUTH · #041
A Button Should Not Be an Entrance Exam for Adulthood.Adapt the clothing. Keep the authority.
September 16, 2026Dressing, Dexterity & Independence

A Button Should Not Be an Entrance Exam for Adulthood.

Parkinson’s can turn buttons, zippers and laces into fine-motor obstacles. Outsiders may see sloppiness or dependence. The real cost is how quickly a clothing problem becomes a judgment about the person wearing it.

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A seated adult faces an ordinary dark living room where window light and ivory curtains create one subtle human-like presence that is not actually thereDEFIANT TRUTH · #040
The Room Can Lie Without Making the Person a Liar.Respect the person. Investigate the symptom.
September 15, 2026Hallucinations, Insight & Parkinson’s

The Room Can Lie Without Making the Person a Liar.

Parkinson’s hallucinations and illusions can alter perception without automatically erasing insight or personhood. Outsiders see unreliability. Silence grows where help should begin.

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A lone adult with subtle motion echoes waits on a rain-dark rail platform beneath restrained gold lights and beside a deep-crimson safety lineDEFIANT TRUTH · #039
The Body Can Move Too Much and Still Be Fighting to Move.Don’t diagnose the stranger in motion.
September 14, 2026Dyskinesia, Medication & Public Judgment

The Body Can Move Too Much and Still Be Fighting to Move.

Dyskinesia can make a person with Parkinson’s sway, twist or jerk involuntarily. Outsiders see intoxication, anxiety or poor control. The real story may be a difficult medication tradeoff.

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Two adults pause in conversation at a rain-dark crosswalk divided by a deep-crimson curb line and warm-gold streetlightDEFIANT TRUTH · #038
Sometimes the Conversation Has to Wait for the Feet.One task at a time can be a safety skill.
September 13, 2026Gait, Attention & Dual-Tasking

Sometimes the Conversation Has to Wait for the Feet.

Parkinson’s can make walking and talking compete for attention. Outsiders may see distraction or silence. The person may be choosing the task that keeps them upright.

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A deep-crimson ink stroke narrows from broad to nearly invisible across warm-ivory paper beside a black fountain pen on a charcoal deskDEFIANT TRUTH · #037
The Writing Got Smaller. The Person Didn’t.Small writing is not small intelligence.
September 12, 2026Handwriting, Micrographia & Parkinson’s

The Writing Got Smaller. The Person Didn’t.

Micrographia can make handwriting unusually small or cause it to shrink across a line. Outsiders see carelessness or decline. The person may be fighting reduced movement amplitude one letter at a time.

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A lone adult follows a deep-crimson thread through a charcoal stone maze toward one open doorway glowing warm ivoryDEFIANT TRUTH · #036
“Just Hold It” Is Not a Parkinson’s Care Plan.Urgency is a symptom, not a failure to plan.
September 11, 2026Bladder, Urgency & Parkinson’s

“Just Hold It” Is Not a Parkinson’s Care Plan.

Urinary urgency, frequency and nighttime trips can be part of Parkinson’s. Outsiders see poor planning. The person may be organizing an entire life around a bladder that stopped negotiating.

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A gold spoon pauses before a narrow stone passage on a charcoal dining table as a crimson thread tightens between it and an ivory plateDEFIANT TRUTH · #035
A Cough at Dinner Is Not Always About the Cooking.Eating slowly may be safety, not preference.
September 10, 2026Swallowing, Safety & Parkinson’s

A Cough at Dinner Is Not Always About the Cooking.

Parkinson’s can make chewing and swallowing slower, less coordinated or unsafe. Outsiders may see fussiness or bad manners. The real risks can include dehydration, malnutrition and aspiration.

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A composed middle-aged adult rises carefully from an ivory chair as a broken gold plumb line and deep-crimson floor shadow suggest an unseen shift in gravityDEFIANT TRUTH · #034
Standing Up Should Not Be a Trust Fall.Standing still can still be dangerous.
September 9, 2026Blood Pressure, Dizziness & Autonomic Symptoms

Standing Up Should Not Be a Trust Fall.

A slow rise, a sudden sit or a hand on the chair can look like hesitation. With orthostatic hypotension, the body may be trying to keep enough blood reaching the brain.

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A composed middle-aged adult stands in a charcoal room divided by crimson heat shimmer and cold shadow beneath a cracked antique-brass thermostatDEFIANT TRUTH · #033
Parkinson’s Can Break the Thermostat Without Changing the Weather.The weather is not the whole story.
September 8, 2026Sweating, Temperature & Autonomic Symptoms

Parkinson’s Can Break the Thermostat Without Changing the Weather.

Sweating too much—or too little—can be an autonomic Parkinson’s symptom. Outsiders see nerves, poor hygiene or weakness. The body may be struggling to regulate something it once handled automatically.

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A composed middle-aged adult speaks from one end of a charcoal table as a fine gold thread of sound narrows through a deep-crimson shadowDEFIANT TRUTH · #032
A Quiet Parkinson’s Voice Is Not a Quiet Mind.A quieter voice deserves a better listener.
September 7, 2026Voice, Communication & Parkinson’s

A Quiet Parkinson’s Voice Is Not a Quiet Mind.

Parkinson’s can soften, flatten or blur a voice while leaving the person’s intelligence, humor and authority fully intact. Too often, the room lowers its expectations along with the volume.

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A solitary middle-aged adult sits unaware beside an ivory coffee cup and scorched toast while crimson and gold aroma threads curl through a charcoal-dark kitchenDEFIANT TRUTH · #031
Parkinson’s Can Steal the Smoke Alarm Inside You.A missing sense still leaves a real absence.
September 6, 2026Smell Loss, Safety & Invisible Symptoms

Parkinson’s Can Steal the Smoke Alarm Inside You.

Smell loss is easy to dismiss because nobody can see what is missing. But losing scent can flatten food, erase warning signals and quietly disconnect a person from memory, pleasure and safety.

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A solitary middle-aged adult sits awake on the edge of an unmade warm-ivory bed beneath an enormous antique hourglass with crimson and gold sand suspended in a charcoal-dark roomDEFIANT TRUTH · #030
Parkinson’s Works the Night Shift. Fatigue Takes the Blame.Time in bed is not proof of rest.
September 5, 2026Sleep, Fatigue & Invisible Symptoms

Parkinson’s Works the Night Shift. Fatigue Takes the Blame.

Eight hours in bed can look like eight hours of rest. Parkinson’s can turn the night into fragmented labor, then leave the exhausted person defending the fatigue that arrives the next day.

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A solitary middle-aged adult with a calm neutral expression sits at a dark table while vivid deep-crimson and gold projected light behind them suggests rich emotion that is not visible on their faceDEFIANT TRUTH · #029
A Parkinson’s Face Is Not a Customer Satisfaction Survey.Stillness is not emptiness.
September 4, 2026Facial Masking, Expression & Misunderstanding

A Parkinson’s Face Is Not a Customer Satisfaction Survey.

Facial masking can make a person look bored, angry or emotionally absent while everything behind the expression remains fully present. A face is evidence of muscle movement—not a verdict on character.

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A young law student sits alone at a gold-lit library table while a deep-crimson clinical privacy curtain cuts unnaturally through the dark book stacks and across his workDEFIANT TRUTH · #028
Parkinson’s Didn’t Check My ID.Young is not immunity.
September 3, 2026Young-Onset Parkinson’s, Age & Misunderstanding

Parkinson’s Didn’t Check My ID.

Parkinson’s is still pictured as a disease of old age. I was diagnosed at 23, when the rest of my life was not winding down—it was still being built.

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A solitary middle-aged man stands behind frosted privacy glass while oversized antique-gold magnifying lenses crowd the other side in a dark crimson-lit roomDEFIANT TRUTH · #027
My Diagnosis Is Not Your Icebreaker.Curiosity is not consent.
September 2, 2026Privacy, Boundaries & Disability

My Diagnosis Is Not Your Icebreaker.

A visible disability can make strangers feel entitled to intimate answers. Curiosity may be human, but a diagnosis does not turn somebody’s body, treatment or future into public conversation.

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A solitary man follows a gold path through a dark stone lobby only to find it blocked by a deep-crimson velvet rope while the destination remains visible beyondDEFIANT TRUTH · #026
The Sign Says Accessible. My Body Says That’s Adorable.Compliance is not the same as access.
September 1, 2026Accessibility, Design & Disability Reality

The Sign Says Accessible. My Body Says That’s Adorable.

An accessibility label can satisfy a checklist while the actual route still drains time, energy and dignity. Access should be judged by whether disabled people can use it—not whether somebody installed a sign.

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A tired middle-aged man works alone at a vintage telephone switchboard tangled with crimson and gold cords beside stacks of blank ivory forms late at nightDEFIANT TRUTH · #025
Parkinson’s Hired Me to Manage Parkinson’s. The Pay Is Terrible.The symptoms are only one shift.
August 31, 2026Administrative Burden, Care & Invisible Labor

Parkinson’s Hired Me to Manage Parkinson’s. The Pay Is Terrible.

The symptoms are only one part of the job. Refills, insurance, appointments, records, supplies and phone calls create an invisible management shift that never appears on the medical chart.

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A brass metronome receives a bright gold spotlight on a black stage while a rigid seated figure remains mostly unseen behind a deep-crimson curtainDEFIANT TRUTH · #024
Tremor Has a Publicist. Pain Has to Prove It Exists.Visibility is not a severity scale.
August 30, 2026Pain, Visibility & Parkinson’s

Tremor Has a Publicist. Pain Has to Prove It Exists.

Tremor became the public face of Parkinson’s because it is visible. Pain and other invisible symptoms often carry more of the daily burden—and still have to argue for belief.

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A vintage brass receipt printer feeds a long blank ivory receipt across an after-event table toward an empty crimson chair and into charcoal darknessDEFIANT TRUTH · #023
You Saw the Good Hour. You Didn’t See the Invoice.The event ended. The bill didn’t.
August 29, 2026Energy, Participation & Invisible Cost

You Saw the Good Hour. You Didn’t See the Invoice.

Showing up successfully does not mean showing up was free. Chronic illness often charges for the preparation, the performance and the recovery long after everyone else has gone home.

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A neurologist and a middle-aged man sit at the same height across a dark table, leaning toward one shared weathered sheet connected by a single gold lineDEFIANT TRUTH · #022
A White Coat Knows Parkinson’s. I Know Mine.Two kinds of expertise. One body.
August 28, 2026Lived Expertise, Partnership & Parkinson’s Care

A White Coat Knows Parkinson’s. I Know Mine.

Clinical training understands Parkinson’s across thousands of people. Lived experience understands what it has done inside this one body. Good care needs both kinds of expertise.

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A tired, unsmiling man sits upright in a dark clinical waiting area while his reflection behind him wears an artificial golden smile mask held by thin stringsDEFIANT TRUTH · #021
I Shouldn’t Have to Be Pleasant to Deserve Care.Dignity is not a customer-service reward.
August 27, 2026Dignity, Care & Emotional Honesty

I Shouldn’t Have to Be Pleasant to Deserve Care.

Illness does not always arrive calm, articulate and grateful. Respectful care cannot be a reward reserved for the patients who make suffering comfortable to witness.

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An antique porcelain toilet displayed like a priceless sculpture on a black museum pedestal behind a deep-crimson velvet rope under a warm-gold spotlightDEFIANT TRUTH · #020
Parkinson’s is a movement disorder. Unfortunately, that includes bowel movements.The symptom nobody puts on the ribbon.
August 26, 2026Gut Health, Dignity & Non-Motor Symptoms

Parkinson’s is a movement disorder. Unfortunately, that includes bowel movements.

Constipation is not the glamorous face of Parkinson’s—which is unfortunate, because it can affect comfort, dignity, appetite, medication response and far more of daily life than anyone wants to discuss.

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A glowing vintage record player sends golden sound ripples toward an alert seated man, but the ripples dissolve against a transparent barrier before reaching himDEFIANT TRUTH · #019
The good thing happened. Parkinson’s forgot to deliver the joy.The moment arrived. The pleasure didn’t.
August 25, 2026Anhedonia, Reward & Invisible Symptoms

The good thing happened. Parkinson’s forgot to deliver the joy.

Anhedonia is not ingratitude, laziness or proof that nothing matters. Sometimes the good thing is still good—and the brain’s reward system simply fails to deliver the feeling.

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An alert middle-aged man sits centered in a medical exam room while a clinician and companion speak across him instead of to himDEFIANT TRUTH · #018
If I am in the room, stop talking about me like I’m not.A slower answer is still my answer.
August 23, 2026Communication, Dignity & Medical Encounters

If I am in the room, stop talking about me like I’m not.

A slower answer is still an answer. Parkinson’s may change how quickly I communicate, but it does not make me supporting evidence in someone else’s conversation about my life.

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A middle-aged man stands in warm light at an open doorway while a dim, weathered room remains behind himDEFIANT TRUTH · #017
Getting better does not mean nothing bad happened.The light is real. So was the dark.
August 22, 2026Recovery, Grief & Identity

Getting better does not mean nothing bad happened.

Improvement changes the present. It does not travel backward and erase the fear, damage or years spent surviving before help finally arrived.

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A tired middle-aged man rests on the edge of a couch before exhaustion becomes collapseDEFIANT TRUTH · #014
You do not have to earn rest by collapsing first.Stop before your body has to stop you.
August 19, 2026Rest, Worth & Chronic Illness

You do not have to earn rest by collapsing first.

Rest is not a prize awarded after your body files a formal complaint. Sometimes stopping early is the strongest decision available.

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A weathered middle-aged man stands quietly in a dark kitchen at sunrise with one hand on the counter, an untouched cup of coffee nearby, and warm light entering through the window.DEFIANT TRUTH · #012
You don’t have to feel strong to keep going.You can feel like hell and still move forward.
August 16, 2026Strength & Living Anyway

You don’t have to feel strong to keep going.

Strength is not always a feeling. Sometimes it is simply the decision that this difficult day does not get to make every decision for you.

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A man continues down a long hallway scattered with clocks, medication, keys, tangled laces, and other small interruptionsDEFIANT TRUTH · #009
Interrupted 47 times. Started again 48.That counts.
August 13, 2026Resilience

Interrupted 47 times. Started again 48.

Resilience is not always a comeback. Sometimes it is restarting the same ordinary task one more time than Parkinson’s interrupted it.

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A rain-soaked man carries an overflowing battered suggestion box through a storm-dark city as blank notes blow awayDEFIANT TRUTH · #007
My body is not a public suggestion box.Advice is not care just because it arrived confidently.
August 10, 2026Boundaries

My body is not a public suggestion box.

The moment some people hear Parkinson’s, a cure starts growing in their mouth. Advice is not care just because it arrived confidently.

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Rain-soaked adult laughing fiercely as red-orange light breaks through a storm-dark cityDEFIANT TRUTH · #006
Laughter isn’t denial. It’s defiance.The disease doesn’t get the punchline too.
August 9, 2026Humor

Laughter isn’t denial. It’s defiance.

I don’t laugh because Parkinson’s is harmless. I laugh because it has already taken enough, and I’m not handing it the punchline too.

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Adult frozen at a rain-lit doorway with faint motion echoes and contradictory amber lightDEFIANT TRUTH · #005
Parkinson’s is strange. You’re not.The disease is inconsistent. Your experience is real.
August 8, 2026Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s is strange. You’re not.

You can look fine at 10:00 and feel like your body has been repossessed by 10:17. The disease is inconsistent. Your experience is still real.

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Awake adult in sweatpants reaching toward a small glowing ignition key in a rain-dark roomDEFIANT TRUTH · #004
Apathy is Parkinson’s in sweatpants.The ignition is neurological. The shame is optional.
August 7, 2026Non-Motor

Apathy is Parkinson’s in sweatpants.

It looks comfortable from the outside. Inside, it is a neurological hostage situation where desire and action have stopped returning each other’s calls.

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Patient speaking as a red-gold waveform crosses a frosted barrier toward an attentive clinicianDEFIANT TRUTH · #003
Closed mouths don’t get meds, answers, or respect.Your health is too important to leave to politeness.
August 6, 2026Advocacy

Closed mouths don’t get meds, answers, or respect.

Self-advocacy is not being difficult. It is what happens when the person living in the body refuses to become a footnote in the room.

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Rain-dark urban aftermath with an empty chair, scattered pages, and restrained amber storm lightDEFIANT TRUTH · #001
You don’t have to turn every bad day into a lesson.A terrible day is not a failed lesson.
August 4, 2026Honesty

You don’t have to turn every bad day into a lesson.

Sometimes Parkinson’s kicks your ass on a Tuesday and Wednesday shows up without an explanation. That doesn’t make Tuesday a failure. It makes it a terrible day you survived.

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02 / THE POINT

I don’t inspire
from a distance.

I stand in the mess and make it human—and funny—because laughter isn’t denial. It’s defiance.

Defiant Truths is for anyone tired of being told to stay positive when what they actually need is permission to tell the truth.

Meet Richie
LIVEDEFIANTLYEVERY DAMN DAY
03 / THE SHOP

Books, tools, and
hard-earned truth.

Four books about Parkinson's, resilience, identity, and living anyway—plus a practical guide for building the strongest Social Security Disability case possible.

BOOK 01

Shaky Times

Buy on Amazon BOOK 02

Laugh Through It

Buy on Amazon BOOK 03

I Was Too Young for This Sh*t

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Letters from the Future

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Read the archive
Richie Pikunis in a blue jacket
33+ YEARSLIVING IT
04 / ABOUT RICHIE

The body doesn’t always cooperate. The voice still does.

Richie Pikunis is an inspirational humorist, speaker, author, and chronic illness advocate who has lived with Young-Onset Parkinson’s for more than three decades. His work cuts through pity, platitudes, and performative optimism with raw storytelling, psychology, and the kind of humor you earn the hard way.

Speaking & books Contact Richie