In the tenth in our series profiling the bloggers supporting the World Parkinson Congress 2019, we talk to US blogger Bruce Ballard. He discusses the “shock” of his blog going viral, how he wrote 150 haikus for Parkinson’s – and why he’s taken up ping pong
Can you describe yourself in one sentence?
I’m trying to stay an outgoing, active, fun-loving guy despite the roadblocks that Parkinson’s tosses at me.
Do you have a particular audience in mind when you’re writing?
Not really. I write primarily because I enjoy it – and I’m delighted when others are interested too. For example, in April the World Parkinson Congress held a haiku contest. I submitted 13 poems, and then thought: “Why stop there?” So I challenged myself to compose 150 haikus about Parkinson’s, and I posted 100 of them on my blog. I was thrilled every time I came up with a new haiku – things like that drive me to keep writing.
Is there an aspect of Parkinson’s that you’re most passionate about?
Yes, there are two aspects. Firstly, Parkies need to stay as physically active as possible. I’ve blogged a lot about the benefits of exercise. My website includes a calendar where I track all my workouts. I’m 65 years old and still compete in open-water swim races and I’ve also taken up ping-pong.
Secondly, I’m a big believer in immersing yourself in an enriched environment, so I post a lot of artwork, poetry and music. After I was diagnosed, I gave myself the challenge of writing sonnets and other poems in iambic pentameter. I found it to be an enjoyable mental challenge.
How widely read is your blog and in which countries?
It depends on the particular post. Some have a low turnout, but sometimes I publish something that goes viral – and I get hundreds or thousands of visitors from over 60 countries.
Have you been surprised by the level of interest you’ve attracted?
Yes, it’s shocking when I see that over a thousand people have read something I posted.
