At 72, Cindee Lewis still returns to the piano every day. The music has always been something she loves, but today it carries an added purpose. Each note keeps her hands moving, challenges her mind and reminds her that Parkinson’s disease does not define her life.

When she first noticed symptoms nearly a decade ago, however, fear was difficult to escape. Around 2015, she began walking stiffly and noticed a tremor in her hand. Deep down, she already suspected what it might be.

“I knew before I went to the doctor,” Cindee said. “I knew what I had. I knew it and I was scared.”

Her fears were shaped by childhood experiences. Some of Cindee’s earliest memories include watching her mother live with Parkinson’s disease after being diagnosed when Cindee was just five years old. At the time, there was little understanding of the disease and few resources to help families navigate it.

“People just didn’t talk about it then,” she recalls. “It became one of my biggest fears.”

When she was officially diagnosed, those memories made the news even harder to process. But Cindee was determined that her journey would look different, supported by the love of her family.

Originally from Rochester, New York, she moved to Huntsville in 1989 with her husband after meeting in college. Together, they raised five children and are now proud grandparents to 21 grandchildren.

Surrounded by that love and support, Cindee says she faced her diagnosis with a very different outlook than what she witnessed growing up.

Soon after her diagnosis, she began looking for ways to stay active and informed. That search led her to the Huntsville Hospital Parkinson’s Care Clinic, which provides comprehensive care and support for people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Through the clinic, she found programs that quickly became a meaningful part of her routine—from exercise classes that build strength and mobility to speech therapy designed to maintain voice and communication. What began as speech therapy even evolved into something unexpected: a Parkinson’s choir made up of fellow participants who gather to sing together and encourage one another.

“It’s given me a community and support system,” Cindee said. “I began to make friends.”

Today, she participates in classes several times a week and has grown noticeably stronger.

“Simple things like getting up off the floor … we practice that,” she said. “I’m stronger now. I have muscles.”

Just as important as the physical progress is the sense of connection the clinic provides.

“There are people who might otherwise stay home and feel like they can’t get out,” she said. “Without this, I probably would have gone into a hiding hole and made myself little.”

Instead, Cindee now speaks openly about Parkinson’s and encourages others to explore the programs available through the clinic.

“I don’t have any problem saying the ‘P word’ anymore,” she said.

Her family continues to be a steady source of encouragement.

“My kids are close to each other and love being together,” she said. “They rally around me. Those are the best kids.”

Programs like those offered through the Huntsville Hospital Parkinson’s Care Clinic are made possible in part through community grants and generous donor support, including funding from the Parkinson's Foundation. Knowing that people she may never meet have invested in these services means a great deal to her.

“Oh my gosh, it makes me grateful,” Cindee said. “The programs are a big part of the reason I’m doing as well as I am. I just have an immense amount of gratitude.”

Today, Cindee continues to teach piano, stay active in her classes and sing with the Parkinson’s choir – surrounded by family, friends and a community that understands the journey.

With the care, support and connection she has found through the Huntsville Hospital Parkinson’s Care Clinic, she isn’t just living with Parkinson’s. She is living fully.