August 15, 2025 • 29 mins
Fire took everything Travis owned in just 15 minutes. With his Parkinson's disease symptoms flaring from stress, he faced the seemingly impossible task of rebuilding a life from scratch while his body fought against him. This raw, powerful episode explores the unexpected challenges that emerged when Travis had to relocate to a new house in just four days—a home that, while larger, presents accessibility nightmares with its multiple levels and problematic doorways.
Travis takes us on his recent whirlwind journey, from navigating airport security with specialized photography equipment to attending a friend's wedding in upstate New York. The conversation reveals how even routine travel becomes a logistical puzzle when managing a progressive neurological condition, yet Travis refuses to let these obstacles limit his experiences.
Hope shines through as Travis shares exciting news about a potential game-changer in his treatment plan. He's been fast-tracked for the innovative Vyalev Pump system—a subcutaneous infusion device similar to an insulin pump that provides continuous medication. This development offers a glimpse into how medical innovation continues to improve quality of life for those with Parkinson's.
The most touching moments come when Travis articulates the unique grief of losing personal possessions in the fire. "It's not mourning the stuff," he explains, "it's mourning the experience you had with that stuff." His perspective offers profound insight into the emotional dimensions of loss that extend far beyond material value.
Travis's story is a masterclass in resilience—not because he never struggles, but because he continues forward despite overwhelming circumstances. His determination to rebuild his photography archive symbolizes his broader approach to life: acknowledging loss while refusing to be defined by it. Listen now and discover how extraordinary circumstances can reveal extraordinary strength.
- Co-hosts: Judy Yaras & Travis Robinson
- Editor & Audio Engineer: (EP1-100) Spencer Yaras
- Audio Engineering Intern: Ana MacAller
- Social Media Intern: Ana MacAller
www.INDYpodcast.net
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to I'm Not Dead Yet with Judy and Travis, a
podcast about living anextraordinary life with
extraordinary circumstances.
And welcome to the I'm Not DeadYet podcast.
I'm your host, Travis Robinson.
(00:26):
I was diagnosed withParkinson's disease at age 35 in
2014.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
And I'm your other co-host, Judy Yarris.
My husband, Sandy, hadParkinson's disease for 18 years
.
I was his care partner.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Today's episode will be catching up with me.
I've had the whirlwind ofactivity this month and just now
getting a moment to breathe andtalk to Judy about it.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Hi, travis, I feel like it's been forever since
we've connected.
It's been a while.
You've been very busy, right.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I have been.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
So let's talk a little bit.
Tell me, I understand thatyou've moved right.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I did.
We had to move houses and wehad to do it in four days?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
What that F?
Are you kidding me?
I mean, come on, I just want tofor point of reference, for if
you've never heard this podcastbefore and you don't know Travis
, you don't know me.
But Travis happened to be oneof the fire victims from
Altadena.
Their house burnt down in theAltadena fire and he literally
(02:13):
had 15 minutes to get out thedoor with his dogs, his cats and
whatever personal belongings hecould get.
And so I guess, based on thatTravis, four days is like you
had forever to get out of thehouse.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Right, yes, except we had to take everything and
clean up.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, bad, unfortunate, I'm so sorry.
So that must have been highlystressful for you Again, coming
already from a stressful livingenvironment.
That was a little bit too smallfor you and Sarah and the two
dogs and two cats.
Right, and ideally not perfect,but you were making it work.
(03:08):
And now you did find anotherplace, right, yeah, and does
this place have any challengesfor you, or is it perfect?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
It has a few challenges.
Okay, it's much larger, whichis good, but it's also
multi-leveled, which is not asgood for me.
(03:47):
Yeah, that doesn't sound likean ideal situation it has some
unergonomic corners and doorwaysyou know that open the wrong
way, ah, that have caused me abit of trouble, especially when
(04:17):
I'm rushing to the toilet ortrying to get something.
And yeah, I mean in many waysit's a great location and other
(04:38):
fun things, but it is not laidout with the ADA or Parkinson's
person in mind.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Right, it sounds like this could be a challenging
space for you, and since youhaven't started building the new
house, you could be here for atleast a year, right?
Yes, so you're going to have toup your mindfulness as you
maneuver in this house.
Yes, is there a toilet on thefirst floor or only on the
(05:25):
second floor?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Um, there are two toilets on the first floor.
Oh good, okay, which is a superbig improvement for us, having
lived in single-bedroomdomiciles for a few years now.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah, so that's positive.
Yes, so we've got to look atthe plus side here.
It's just that bad corners anddoors that don't open the way we
think they're going to open canbe a bit of a problem.
Exactly so.
Are you putting signs on thedoor, anything that could help
(06:22):
you remember that this dooropens out or this door opens in,
or anything special like that?
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Just trying to be mindful of it.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Okay, well, that's good.
So you know what you have to do.
Yeah, okay, well, that's good,so you know what you have to do.
Yeah, okay, how did youmaneuver getting out in four
days, though that seems kind ofa short time to move all your
belongings and everything.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Well, first of all, they are only the belongings
that we had acquired in the lastsix months.
It's true, okay.
And second of all, since weleft the country on the 5th of
(07:19):
July and got the keys on thefirst, that was what we had to
do.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I see why it was only four days.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So you had a great trip.
You went to New York, right?
We?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
did?
We went to upstate New York toa very good friend's wedding.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Nice, where were you?
What part of upstate New York?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
We were in the little village of Warwick.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Warwick.
Never heard of it but I have agood friend that has a house up
in Franklin and she loves it upthere.
It's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yes, it was very pretty to drive through and I
expect in the fall there will beall the brilliant leaves.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yes, it's very, very pretty there.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So that was a good trip.
We got to see him and his wifeand many of their friends and
sit around telling stories andbullshit and good drinking it
(09:04):
was wonderful.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well, that's great.
So that was your reward forgetting up and moving out in
four days.
Right how that was a goodreward.
It turned out to be verysuccessful.
I'm glad to hear that.
Did you do any special planningfor travel?
I know that you are ourconsummate traveler and you're
always prepared to do thesethings.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yes, but this particular trip had a lot of
logistical hurdles.
Number one was I was going toNew York directly off of a
(09:55):
11-day trip to Iceland Wow whereI took an extensive array of
photography equipment threepieces of checked luggage worth
(10:20):
Wow and because I had so muchphoto equipment and a lot of it
was like special handlinggetting through security, it was
(10:43):
a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah, I could see where that would be a lot.
I mean, it's hard enough flyingjust with you and a suitcase or
two, but when you have specialequipment and you have to do
special TSA stuff it makes itmuch more difficult.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Did they hassle you at all with any of it or no?
It was pretty easy once youwere there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I wouldn't say that it was easy.
I will say that we weresuccessful and I credit Sarah
for making sure that my film didnot get x-rayed.
(11:33):
Oh good, okay, yeah, she tookpoint on that aspect of getting
through security and I had twolarge bags of film.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Oh, okay, so you weren't shooting digitally then
I was doing both Okay, all right.
So you were a little, what dothey call it?
You were analog.
I'm part.
Both Okay, all right.
So you were a little.
What do they call it?
You were analog on part of thistrip.
Yeah, okay, yeah, A littledifferent kind of trip.
So, and getting to upstate NewYork, it's not like you fly in
(12:22):
to that area, you go to New YorkCity, right, I flew in from JFK
.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Got around there and drove.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Uh-huh.
So that's a couple of hoursextra, two, three hours in the
mix.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
After a lengthy plane ride I could see where that
could be difficult.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
How have your symptoms been lately?
You know you went through aperiod where you were having a
lot of dystonia, a lot ofdyskinesias, a lot of difficulty
, which we try.
I think that we decided that somuch of it was stress-related
due to the fires and the changesin your environment and
(13:14):
everything.
How have you been feeling sincethen?
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No, no Knowledge is there.
Probably because of my stress,They've been bad.
(13:42):
It's been difficult to talk.
It's been difficult to talk andI've had problems with urine
incontinence and constipationand a host of other meaty
bugaboos, Right.
(14:04):
But I saw my MDS yesterday gota tiny DVS adjustment and I'm
now on the list waiting for theviolet pump.
(14:25):
Oh good, Okay, so hopefullythat will make a difference.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
I hope so, Travis.
I hope that will help you.
So people know that Travis hashad DBS.
He got an upgrade.
Was it a year ago or a year anda half ago?
I'm trying to remember.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Upgrade was in 2020.
Really.
And then the second upgrade was2023.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
2023,.
Wow, I've lost track of time,travis.
What can I say?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
It happened.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
So do you want to explain what this new system is?
Do you want to talk a littlebit about it, or do you want to
wait?
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Sure we can, we can.
So the Vial of Pump is made bythe drug company Avvi, who made
the Duopa system, which is thecontinuous intestinal infusion,
(15:53):
and a number of years ago theystarted working on a
subcutaneous infusion systemthat just pokes in your belly
(16:14):
much like an insulin pump.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Right, it's not a big deal, no, it's something you do
at home.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
You can set the home up at home.
You can disconnect it if youneed to, or our constant drip of
Carbidopa, levodopa.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Which is good, that's good.
It's what you need, right?
How long is the waiting listnow, do they say when?
You might be able to qualifyfor it.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Um, I'm kind of fast-tracked through it.
I expect to have it within amonth.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
That's wonderful.
Yeah, that's really really good.
I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
And as I have a number of friends who are on it,
it promises to be pretty much agame changer.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Great, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that
this goes smoothly.
You need one thing to go realeasy this year, right?
Yes, at least one, At least one.
I mean, you don't let manythings take you down, which is
great.
But you know, there is a pointwhere sometimes you just get a
(18:06):
little bit discouraged, Am Iright?
Yes, yeah, a little bitsometimes, but as long as I have
known you, you have always beenvery instrumental in turning
yourself around and findingsomething positive to focus on.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yes, taking oneself out of a hole is easier when you
have so much practice puttingyourself in those holes.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Right, and it's much easier to get into it than to
get out of it.
For sure, yes, very easy toslide down.
So so much for that, but youknow.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The other thing that the bigger house allows for is
purchasing equipment to replacesome of the equipment that I
lost.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well, that's good, because then you'll have access
to what you need to do, the newphotography that you want to do
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But then there's the fact that I have to purchase all
of it, right, and it stillboggles my mind that six months
after the fire, I'm stillrunning across shit that I'm
(19:49):
surprised I don't have.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I think that makes sense, though, because we don't
realize what we're missing untilwe go to use it right.
I mean, you can go through alist.
It's like you know, certainlyI'm in that position, like I
couldn't keep a list ofeverything that I have, but I
(20:16):
had a strange thing happen.
It was actually very nice andwonderful that a friend of mine
that used to work for me sheworked for me for like 25 years,
and each time I moved to a newlocation or set up a new studio,
she came with me and she had tocome to LA for a visit to see a
(20:37):
doctor, so she stayed with me,which was really nice.
We got to catch up.
We went to go sew something and,for those of you that don't
know, for many years I was inthe clothing design business,
and so I had my own studio andit was set up very nicely with
(20:58):
not only, you know, commercialmachines but thread, everything
that you could want.
And I realized I didn't havethread, because when I decided
to break down my studio, Idonated everything to a friend
that is working at a college upin Northern California that was
(21:19):
setting up a fashion designprogram.
So I donated all this thread.
I donated all the notions,everything to them and then went
to go sew something andrealized I couldn't find a
needle, couldn't find thread,that I had to go buy a spool of
thread and buy some needles andI hadn't thought about it
(21:43):
because I haven't mendedanything for a while.
I haven't needed anything to doand it's been over a year since
I broke down that space for thatpurpose and I thought I wonder
what else is going to turn upalong the way that I may have
forgotten that.
You know, at some point I mightneed it.
(22:04):
Now I recognized when I neededto replace an iron.
I didn't have an iron and I hadto replace that.
But so I can really see wherethere I'm sure there's small
things from lenses or littleitems, little ephemera that you
use as you are doing yourphotography.
(22:24):
I know you do a lot of your owndeveloping.
There's probably things thatyou wouldn't think about
initially.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
So I can appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
It can be challenging .
Understand is you have no ideahow much of that little ephemera
you collect over an adult'slifetime.
(23:12):
Yes, Right.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So it's quite a bit.
And even though you're youngyou still collect.
So I can see at least you'reyoung to me.
You might not be young to a20-year-old, but you're
definitely young to me.
So I still consider you a kidlike.
But I think you're right,travis, that for those of us
(23:38):
that have maybe we've had otherkinds of losses but to lose
everything and to start fromscratch, it seems so
overwhelming to me and hard toimagine.
So you know, I just I'm sureit's been very, very difficult
for you along the way.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
I mean it has, and you sometimes feel guilty about
mourning the stuff because it'sjust stuff, but then it's like
(24:21):
you're mourning the experiencethat you had with that stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Yes, I understand that.
Again, I can understand thatpart.
I know there's people that areorganizers and people that are
really, you know, very much intonot holding on to things.
I don't know what the word isfor that type of personality,
(24:53):
but I know a lot of people thatare like that.
They just do not collect.
But I do collect and the thingsthat I have, I do have those
memories of where I got it andwhat was significant about it,
and certain things that Sandyand I got together, certain
things I got separately, thingshe bought for me, things I
(25:16):
bought for him, and when I thinkabout that, it's the memories
that are probably the hurtfulpart of it.
Right, Right, yeah, it's notthat the item isn't there, it's
that when you would look at thatitem isn't there, it's that
when you would look at that item, you would flash back to what
(25:36):
that experience was acquiringthat item.
And you don't have that now.
I mean, you still have it.
It's still there in your brain,it's still in your heart, but I
think to not have it as areference point is difficult.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Right.
Yeah, and it comes up in thestrangest ways, and so fast.
Something like I was looking atphotos my niece took in Italy
(26:25):
and I commented that 30 yearslater they still haven't fixed
the fucking windows in theColiseum.
Because I have photos of thesame building where I did you
(26:52):
know you're gone now.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
So does it make you feel I mean, I'm assuming
there's a certain amount ofsadness with that are you able
to turn that sadness a differentdirection or move away from the
sadness?
And how do you do that?
Because we're talking aboutloss here, and which we've
talked about before.
But how do you do that?
(27:16):
Because we're talking aboutloss here, which we've talked
about before, but how do youprocess that?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't have a real good waywhen I realize that those images
(27:46):
are only in my memory.
It is a bit sad that I can'tshare them with my niece.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Yes, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
But they have slug hair.
Such is war.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Yeah, I mean, this is what you've done, travis.
You're able to move on with it,and I think that's the
inspiration that you bring tothis experience that you're
willing to not dwell in it, butto move on to the next thing,
(28:30):
and so you're making newexperiences, right?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Yes, and I'm rebuilding my photo archive
Right as quickly as possible,okay.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
So there you have it.
You've started the healingprocess and that's really good.
I'm proud of you, very proud ofyou.
I'm proud to be your friend andI'm proud of the way you have
managed to get through thisfirst six months of the year and
now we're starting on the backhalf and it's pretty remarkable
(29:13):
to me that you've come throughas strong as you have.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Oh, thank you, and on that note, that's a wrap, bing.
Welcome to I'm Not Dead Yet with Judy and Travis, a
podcast about living anextraordinary life with
extraordinary circumstances.
And welcome to the I'm Not DeadYet podcast.
I'm your host, Travis Robinson.
(00:26):
I was diagnosed withParkinson's disease at age 35 in
2014.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
And I'm your other co-host, Judy Yarris.
My husband, Sandy, hadParkinson's disease for 18 years
.
I was his care partner.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Today's episode will be catching up with me.
I've had the whirlwind ofactivity this month and just now
getting a moment to breathe andtalk to Judy about it.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Hi, travis, I feel like it's been forever since
we've connected.
It's been a while.
You've been very busy, right.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I have been.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
So let's talk a little bit.
Tell me, I understand thatyou've moved right.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
I did.
We had to move houses and wehad to do it in four days?
Speaker 2 (01:52):
What that F?
Are you kidding me?
I mean, come on, I just want tofor point of reference, for if
you've never heard this podcastbefore and you don't know Travis
, you don't know me.
But Travis happened to be oneof the fire victims from
Altadena.
Their house burnt down in theAltadena fire and he literally
(02:13):
had 15 minutes to get out thedoor with his dogs, his cats and
whatever personal belongings hecould get.
And so I guess, based on thatTravis, four days is like you
had forever to get out of thehouse.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Right, yes, except we had to take everything and
clean up.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Yeah, bad, unfortunate, I'm so sorry.
So that must have been highlystressful for you Again, coming
already from a stressful livingenvironment.
That was a little bit too smallfor you and Sarah and the two
dogs and two cats.
Right, and ideally not perfect,but you were making it work.
(03:08):
And now you did find anotherplace, right, yeah, and does
this place have any challengesfor you, or is it perfect?
Speaker 1 (03:19):
It has a few challenges.
Okay, it's much larger, whichis good, but it's also
multi-leveled, which is not asgood for me.
(03:47):
Yeah, that doesn't sound likean ideal situation it has some
unergonomic corners and doorwaysyou know that open the wrong
way, ah, that have caused me abit of trouble, especially when
(04:17):
I'm rushing to the toilet ortrying to get something.
And yeah, I mean in many waysit's a great location and other
(04:38):
fun things, but it is not laidout with the ADA or Parkinson's
person in mind.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Right, it sounds like this could be a challenging
space for you, and since youhaven't started building the new
house, you could be here for atleast a year, right?
Yes, so you're going to have toup your mindfulness as you
maneuver in this house.
Yes, is there a toilet on thefirst floor or only on the
(05:25):
second floor?
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Um, there are two toilets on the first floor.
Oh good, okay, which is a superbig improvement for us, having
lived in single-bedroomdomiciles for a few years now.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
Yeah, so that's positive.
Yes, so we've got to look atthe plus side here.
It's just that bad corners anddoors that don't open the way we
think they're going to open canbe a bit of a problem.
Exactly so.
Are you putting signs on thedoor, anything that could help
(06:22):
you remember that this dooropens out or this door opens in,
or anything special like that?
Speaker 1 (06:34):
Just trying to be mindful of it.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Okay, well, that's good.
So you know what you have to do.
Yeah, okay, well, that's good,so you know what you have to do.
Yeah, okay, how did youmaneuver getting out in four
days, though that seems kind ofa short time to move all your
belongings and everything.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Well, first of all, they are only the belongings
that we had acquired in the lastsix months.
It's true, okay.
And second of all, since weleft the country on the 5th of
(07:19):
July and got the keys on thefirst, that was what we had to
do.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
I see why it was only four days.
Okay, yeah, okay.
So you had a great trip.
You went to New York, right?
We?
Speaker 1 (07:41):
did?
We went to upstate New York toa very good friend's wedding.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Nice, where were you?
What part of upstate New York?
Speaker 1 (07:58):
We were in the little village of Warwick.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Warwick.
Never heard of it but I have agood friend that has a house up
in Franklin and she loves it upthere.
It's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Yes, it was very pretty to drive through and I
expect in the fall there will beall the brilliant leaves.
Speaker 2 (08:29):
Yes, it's very, very pretty there.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
So that was a good trip.
We got to see him and his wifeand many of their friends and
sit around telling stories andbullshit and good drinking it
(09:04):
was wonderful.
Speaker 2 (09:07):
Well, that's great.
So that was your reward forgetting up and moving out in
four days.
Right how that was a goodreward.
It turned out to be verysuccessful.
I'm glad to hear that.
Did you do any special planningfor travel?
I know that you are ourconsummate traveler and you're
always prepared to do thesethings.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
Yes, but this particular trip had a lot of
logistical hurdles.
Number one was I was going toNew York directly off of a
(09:55):
11-day trip to Iceland Wow whereI took an extensive array of
photography equipment threepieces of checked luggage worth
(10:20):
Wow and because I had so muchphoto equipment and a lot of it
was like special handlinggetting through security, it was
(10:43):
a lot.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
Yeah, I could see where that would be a lot.
I mean, it's hard enough flyingjust with you and a suitcase or
two, but when you have specialequipment and you have to do
special TSA stuff it makes itmuch more difficult.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Did they hassle you at all with any of it or no?
It was pretty easy once youwere there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
I wouldn't say that it was easy.
I will say that we weresuccessful and I credit Sarah
for making sure that my film didnot get x-rayed.
(11:33):
Oh good, okay, yeah, she tookpoint on that aspect of getting
through security and I had twolarge bags of film.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Oh, okay, so you weren't shooting digitally then
I was doing both Okay, all right.
So you were a little, what dothey call it?
You were analog.
I'm part.
Both Okay, all right.
So you were a little.
What do they call it?
You were analog on part of thistrip.
Yeah, okay, yeah, A littledifferent kind of trip.
So, and getting to upstate NewYork, it's not like you fly in
(12:22):
to that area, you go to New YorkCity, right, I flew in from JFK
.
Speaker 1 (12:34):
Got around there and drove.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Uh-huh.
So that's a couple of hoursextra, two, three hours in the
mix.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
After a lengthy plane ride I could see where that
could be difficult.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
How have your symptoms been lately?
You know you went through aperiod where you were having a
lot of dystonia, a lot ofdyskinesias, a lot of difficulty
, which we try.
I think that we decided that somuch of it was stress-related
due to the fires and the changesin your environment and
(13:14):
everything.
How have you been feeling sincethen?
Speaker 1 (13:20):
No, no Knowledge is there.
Probably because of my stress,They've been bad.
(13:42):
It's been difficult to talk.
It's been difficult to talk andI've had problems with urine
incontinence and constipationand a host of other meaty
bugaboos, Right.
(14:04):
But I saw my MDS yesterday gota tiny DVS adjustment and I'm
now on the list waiting for theviolet pump.
(14:25):
Oh good, Okay, so hopefullythat will make a difference.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
I hope so, Travis.
I hope that will help you.
So people know that Travis hashad DBS.
He got an upgrade.
Was it a year ago or a year anda half ago?
I'm trying to remember.
Speaker 1 (14:48):
Upgrade was in 2020.
Really.
And then the second upgrade was2023.
Speaker 2 (15:05):
2023,.
Wow, I've lost track of time,travis.
What can I say?
Speaker 1 (15:11):
It happened.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
So do you want to explain what this new system is?
Do you want to talk a littlebit about it, or do you want to
wait?
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Sure we can, we can.
So the Vial of Pump is made bythe drug company Avvi, who made
the Duopa system, which is thecontinuous intestinal infusion,
(15:53):
and a number of years ago theystarted working on a
subcutaneous infusion systemthat just pokes in your belly
(16:14):
much like an insulin pump.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Right, it's not a big deal, no, it's something you do
at home.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
You can set the home up at home.
You can disconnect it if youneed to, or our constant drip of
Carbidopa, levodopa.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Which is good, that's good.
It's what you need, right?
How long is the waiting listnow, do they say when?
You might be able to qualifyfor it.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Um, I'm kind of fast-tracked through it.
I expect to have it within amonth.
Speaker 2 (17:18):
That's wonderful.
Yeah, that's really really good.
I'm glad to hear that.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
And as I have a number of friends who are on it,
it promises to be pretty much agame changer.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
Great, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that
this goes smoothly.
You need one thing to go realeasy this year, right?
Yes, at least one, At least one.
I mean, you don't let manythings take you down, which is
great.
But you know, there is a pointwhere sometimes you just get a
(18:06):
little bit discouraged, Am Iright?
Yes, yeah, a little bitsometimes, but as long as I have
known you, you have always beenvery instrumental in turning
yourself around and findingsomething positive to focus on.
Speaker 1 (18:24):
Yes, taking oneself out of a hole is easier when you
have so much practice puttingyourself in those holes.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
Right, and it's much easier to get into it than to
get out of it.
For sure, yes, very easy toslide down.
So so much for that, but youknow.
Speaker 1 (18:54):
The other thing that the bigger house allows for is
purchasing equipment to replacesome of the equipment that I
lost.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Well, that's good, because then you'll have access
to what you need to do, the newphotography that you want to do
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
But then there's the fact that I have to purchase all
of it, right, and it stillboggles my mind that six months
after the fire, I'm stillrunning across shit that I'm
(19:49):
surprised I don't have.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
I think that makes sense, though, because we don't
realize what we're missing untilwe go to use it right.
I mean, you can go through alist.
It's like you know, certainlyI'm in that position, like I
couldn't keep a list ofeverything that I have, but I
(20:16):
had a strange thing happen.
It was actually very nice andwonderful that a friend of mine
that used to work for me sheworked for me for like 25 years,
and each time I moved to a newlocation or set up a new studio,
she came with me and she had tocome to LA for a visit to see a
(20:37):
doctor, so she stayed with me,which was really nice.
We got to catch up.
We went to go sew something and,for those of you that don't
know, for many years I was inthe clothing design business,
and so I had my own studio andit was set up very nicely with
(20:58):
not only, you know, commercialmachines but thread, everything
that you could want.
And I realized I didn't havethread, because when I decided
to break down my studio, Idonated everything to a friend
that is working at a college upin Northern California that was
(21:19):
setting up a fashion designprogram.
So I donated all this thread.
I donated all the notions,everything to them and then went
to go sew something andrealized I couldn't find a
needle, couldn't find thread,that I had to go buy a spool of
thread and buy some needles andI hadn't thought about it
(21:43):
because I haven't mendedanything for a while.
I haven't needed anything to doand it's been over a year since
I broke down that space for thatpurpose and I thought I wonder
what else is going to turn upalong the way that I may have
forgotten that.
You know, at some point I mightneed it.
(22:04):
Now I recognized when I neededto replace an iron.
I didn't have an iron and I hadto replace that.
But so I can really see wherethere I'm sure there's small
things from lenses or littleitems, little ephemera that you
use as you are doing yourphotography.
(22:24):
I know you do a lot of your owndeveloping.
There's probably things thatyou wouldn't think about
initially.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
So I can appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
It can be challenging .
Understand is you have no ideahow much of that little ephemera
you collect over an adult'slifetime.
(23:12):
Yes, Right.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
So it's quite a bit.
And even though you're youngyou still collect.
So I can see at least you'reyoung to me.
You might not be young to a20-year-old, but you're
definitely young to me.
So I still consider you a kidlike.
But I think you're right,travis, that for those of us
(23:38):
that have maybe we've had otherkinds of losses but to lose
everything and to start fromscratch, it seems so
overwhelming to me and hard toimagine.
So you know, I just I'm sureit's been very, very difficult
for you along the way.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
I mean it has, and you sometimes feel guilty about
mourning the stuff because it'sjust stuff, but then it's like
(24:21):
you're mourning the experiencethat you had with that stuff.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
Yes, I understand that.
Again, I can understand thatpart.
I know there's people that areorganizers and people that are
really, you know, very much intonot holding on to things.
I don't know what the word isfor that type of personality,
(24:53):
but I know a lot of people thatare like that.
They just do not collect.
But I do collect and the thingsthat I have, I do have those
memories of where I got it andwhat was significant about it,
and certain things that Sandyand I got together, certain
things I got separately, thingshe bought for me, things I
(25:16):
bought for him, and when I thinkabout that, it's the memories
that are probably the hurtfulpart of it.
Right, Right, yeah, it's notthat the item isn't there, it's
that when you would look at thatitem isn't there, it's that
when you would look at that item, you would flash back to what
(25:36):
that experience was acquiringthat item.
And you don't have that now.
I mean, you still have it.
It's still there in your brain,it's still in your heart, but I
think to not have it as areference point is difficult.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Right.
Yeah, and it comes up in thestrangest ways, and so fast.
Something like I was looking atphotos my niece took in Italy
(26:25):
and I commented that 30 yearslater they still haven't fixed
the fucking windows in theColiseum.
Because I have photos of thesame building where I did you
(26:52):
know you're gone now.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
So does it make you feel I mean, I'm assuming
there's a certain amount ofsadness with that are you able
to turn that sadness a differentdirection or move away from the
sadness?
And how do you do that?
Because we're talking aboutloss here, and which we've
talked about before.
But how do you do that?
(27:16):
Because we're talking aboutloss here, which we've talked
about before, but how do youprocess that?
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Yeah, I don't know.
I don't have a real good waywhen I realize that those images
(27:46):
are only in my memory.
It is a bit sad that I can'tshare them with my niece.
Speaker 2 (27:59):
Yes, I'm sure.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
But they have slug hair.
Such is war.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Yeah, I mean, this is what you've done, travis.
You're able to move on with it,and I think that's the
inspiration that you bring tothis experience that you're
willing to not dwell in it, butto move on to the next thing,
(28:30):
and so you're making newexperiences, right?
Speaker 1 (28:35):
Yes, and I'm rebuilding my photo archive
Right as quickly as possible,okay.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
So there you have it.
You've started the healingprocess and that's really good.
I'm proud of you, very proud ofyou.
I'm proud to be your friend andI'm proud of the way you have
managed to get through thisfirst six months of the year and
now we're starting on the backhalf and it's pretty remarkable
(29:13):
to me that you've come throughas strong as you have.
Speaker 1 (29:18):
Oh, thank you, and on that note, that's a wrap, bing.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
What Are We Even Doing? with Kyle MacLachlan
Join award-winning actor and social media madman Kyle MacLachlan on “What Are We Even Doing,” where he sits down with Millennial and Gen Z actors, musicians, artists, and content creators to share stories about the entertainment industry past, present, and future. Kyle and his guests will talk shop, compare notes on life, and generally be weird together. In a good way. Their conversations will resonate with listeners of any age whose interests lie in television & film, music, art, or pop culture.