“Incurable Gifts” is a book that defies every expectation we have about memoirs of illness. It is not a story of suffering—it's a masterclass in finding grace where none should exist. With prose that alternates between laugh-out-loud funny and quietly devastating, Jim O'Connell chronicles his 20-year journey with Parkinson's disease, transforming what could have been a tale of decline into something far more profound: a meditation on what it means to truly live. This is a book about falling down—literally and figuratively—and finding unexpected gifts in the wreckage. It's about learning that courage isn't only running into burning buildings like his firefighter father did, but sometimes just getting out of bed. It's about discovering that the worst thing that happens to you might also teach you everything you need to know about what matters.
Jim O’Connell is a veteran journalist whose career spanned more than three decades at leading newspapers and Bloomberg News. He specialized in politics, government, and feature writing. When his struggle with Parkinson’s forced him into early retirment, O’Connell turned to essays, chronicling his life, career, and family with candor and humor. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and two sons.