In April 2010, Allison (Allie) Toepperwein experienced a tremor in her left hand while living in Austin, Texas after giving birth to her daughter. Around eight months later, in December 2010, Steven Eury noticed a tremor in his right hand while filming the birth of his son 1100 miles away in North Carolina. The following year, Steven received a diagnosis of Young Onset Parkinson's Disease (YOPD). It took another 4 1/2 years, and 2 1/2 months after Allison's divorce before she, too, was diagnosed with YOPD New Year's Eve of 2014.

Allison went on to make history by becoming the first person with Parkinson's to compete on the popular TV show American Ninja Warrior. She began blogging, delivering motivational speeches, and advocating for single moms, women, and young adults with diseases.

In May 2020, Steven, who had recently gone through a divorce, purchased property on a street named Allison. He intended to build a new home and embark on a fresh chapter of life with his children and his dog named Allie.

 

In August 2020, one of Steven's friends sent him a blog post written by a stranger named Allison, sharing her experiences of "Dating With Parkinson's." Steven felt an inexplicable connection and decided to reach out to her. Two months later, in October 2020, the two finally met. Two years later the couple were married. They now reside on the very street named Allison, alongside Steven's dog Allie, their three children, a cat, a bunny, and a new puppy. 

In September 2022, the pair joined 10 other people with Parkinson's to run the Blue Ridge Relay, which is an arduous 208 mile relay through the Blue Ridge mountains, two states and more than 16,000 Feet of ascent.  

Then, in December 2023, one week before Christmas, the couple created a new spark between them, by both undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. The couple had brain surgery on the same day, by Baylor's Dr. Sameer Sheth and team, in the same operating room, in the same hospital, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center back to back. It is now considered standard of care for people with PD that qualify to have DBS. 

Let’s check in with them and learn what it is like for the two PwP to live together and have surgery/recovery together.

https://litwithin.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz0hlJ6mzD4

https://www.dbsandme.com/en.html