A Setback Doesn’t Mean You Stop | Michael Lu

Michael Lu has been playing hockey since he was four. In 2018, years after being diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s, he was recognized by the Anaheim Ducks as their honorary “21st Duck” and skated onto the ice with the team at Honda Center.

Michael was diagnosed at 29, after experiencing symptoms as far back as high school. His younger brother was diagnosed even earlier, and the two have had very different experiences with the disease.

Michael still plays hockey, trains regularly, and looks for ways to keep doing the things he enjoys as Parkinson’s changes what his body can do.

In this conversation, he and Eric talk about adapting when the game plan stops working, the difficult side effects of medication, how years of sport prepared Michael for Parkinson’s, and why he no longer measures a good day by the numbers alone.

Key Takeaways

➡️ Sport gave Michael practice at adapting.

Years of swimming, hockey and snowboarding taught him not to treat mistakes as the end. When something stops working, he changes the game plan, tries another approach and keeps going.

➡️ Preparation helps, but Parkinson’s can still move the target.

Michael builds extra time, medication, food and sleep into his routine, knowing that what works one day may not work the same way the next.

➡️ The way he measures a good day has changed.

Michael pays less attention to times and more to whether he enjoyed being out there. His body may not do everything it once could, but he still puts value on what it can do.

Key Moments