My father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) in the mid-to-late 90s and he lived with PD until his passing in 2012. I was diagnosed with PD in 2019, and I was quickly frustrated that I was being given the same drug for PD my father had used 30 years ago.  

It seemed an inordinately long time to not have progressed more with treatments and drugs. Certainly, there were some advances to treat Parkinson’s symptoms, like deep brain stimulation (DBS), but it all seemed to circle back to the primary PD drug carbidopa-levodopa. 

As I navigated this reality, and my Parkinson’s symptoms, I eventually connected with the Parkinson’s Foundation. I appreciated that the Foundation’s resources made clear that Parkinson’s is not just a movement disorder. Some neurologists I have dealt with don’t seem to care as much about the non-movement symptoms, and I have those in spades (and had them for a number of years before my actual PD diagnosis).  

Learning about how PD impacts so many systems in my body and how common these non-movement symptoms are through the Foundation has been helpful and is just one part of the personalized approach the Foundation does so wonderfully. That personalized approach is why I began to financially support the Foundation. 

What meaningfully differentiated the Parkinson’s Foundation from the other PD charities in my mind was when I learned about the Foundation’s Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech initiative. I truly became excited as it seemed to me to be an optimal approach to accelerate research on developing new treatment options as well as finding the cause of PD. The usual institutional approach has not seemed, to me at least, to have made the kind of progress needed, particularly considering the significant increase in the number of people being diagnosed with PD.  

Real, original research and development often occurs through the efforts of individuals who do not accept the status quo and believe enough in their own work to take the risks (and those risks are significant) of stepping out on their own to accelerate the development of their ideas. Things can get caught up in the bureaucracy of larger institutions (and, in some institutions, perhaps “group think”) that dampens both the creativity and speed of innovation needed for truly breakthrough developments.  

I was looking for something to support that was nimbler and led by people with real passion and belief in their own work, and I found it in the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech initiative. The initiative’s combination of science and private entrepreneurialism is an excellent way to accelerate advances in applied research and development. Through this initiative, the Foundation makes venture capital investments in early-stage companies focused on PD research and development.   

Additionally, the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech uses an investment model I am familiar with and have seen work successfully a number of times throughout my 40-year career as a corporate lawyer with a particular focus in securities law.  

I know the various stages of the venture capital process, the need to do significant technical due diligence and to properly evaluate a company’s management team to be comfortable with their ability to develop and follow through on a business plan to achieve the scientific and commercial objectives of the project.   

I like the fact that Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech investments in a company are made in stages based on the company’s achievement of certain milestones. The Parkinson’s Foundation and Parkinson’s UK have the resources to do that due diligence and keep the focus on Parkinson’s disease. They also mentor the management teams when necessary to assist in their success.  

I believe that through the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech, the Parkinson’s Foundation can make a real difference in efforts to advance treatment options and ultimately cure Parkinson’s disease. Where else can you find the expertise (both in PD and in venture capital investments) found in the Parkinson’s Foundation and Parkinson’s UK, the access to many investment opportunities that are brought to this initiative and the management mentoring to move these projects forward?  I am unaware of other PD focused organizations doing this and it is something that I am very passionate about supporting it. 

I believe this model has the best chance to work for Parkinson’s and to make leaps of progress that are important if we hope to slow disease progression, eventually stop other people from getting it and finally learn what causes Parkinson’s disease. I would encourage anyone to join me in supporting the Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech initiative. 

Learn more about Parkinson’s Virtual Biotech and make a gift to support this exciting work. 

The Word

All who cross over into the land of the afflicted have one. A word. A sentence. A fate. Mine? Parkinson’s, the P word. It arises unbidden as I walk, my left leg not quite keeping pace with my right. It floats to top of mind when my tremor flares in a social setting, again when I realize I am not speaking loudly enough in conversation. Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s. I’m sick of it and I’m sick from it, the word and its confederates: neurological, progressive, incurable. 

I was first bestowed the word on an otherwise unremarkable day. I arrived at my initial appointment with the neurologist assuming I would receive confirmation of my primary doc’s best-guess diagnosis of an “Essential Tremor” — relatively benign. We had a brief conversation, she had me perform some dexterity tests, observed me walking up and down the hallway, then asked if I had ever acted out dreams, punching, kicking, or yelling while asleep. I had not.  

She then abruptly said, “Your symptoms are consistent with Parkinsonism.” What? What did that even mean? Was she trying to say the P word without saying it? I asked her point blank. Her answer? A slight head nod and a “Yes.” At that pivot point, everything reeled and the tectonic plates at my core shifted and fractured. I now had a word, my word, one that will loop in my misfiring neural synapses for the remainder of my days. 

I sometimes wonder what previously occupied all the psychic space now hogged by the P word? An entirely unrealistic assumption that I would always enjoy good health? A smug satisfaction that I was in better health than many of my peers? An underlying sense of physical well-being?  

All those foundational articles of belief vaporized upon my diagnosis.   

I remind myself that I am fortunate to be in the early stages of the P word and still able to do most of the things I enjoy and I am fully aware that there are many with far more daunting conditions than mine. I give myself pep talks: “Don’t be defined by your diagnosis,” and “Keep fighting,” Good advice, certainly, but alacrity and stoicism are lofty, cerebral concepts, flimsy and flaccid weapons in the face of my relentless adversary. The P word, too, is cerebral, but it does its dirty business on a deeper, more primal level, the substantia nigra, those words conjuring a devouring black hole in my cranial universe. Clint Eastwood’s admonition to “Not let the old man in,” is good in theory but the “old man” arrived unannounced and had set up shop before I even knew he was here. 

There are surgical interventions but I am told I am not yet a candidate and that I won’t be until my symptoms worsen. Finally! Something to look forward to! (Insert sarcasm emoji here.) Meanwhile, well-intentioned friends refer me to articles touting potential breakthroughs, even cures. They shimmer like cool water in the distance on my parched P word path. I can only hope they do not turn out to be to be mirages. 

How to proceed? With denial, with exercise, with deflection, with exercise, and finally, with more exercise which I am told can slow the progression of my symptoms. My gallows humor, always at the ready, is asserting itself more now that the actual gallows are in sight. I should note here that the P word is not a death sentence, rather a life sentence. I’m told I will likely die with it, not from it. 

Given that, there is good reason to think I might stick around to enjoy more springs, more summers, more falls, which have taken on a metaphoric poignancy and, yes, winters, even as I come to inhabit my own. And one day, tremors, shuffling gait, and all, I might see my 90th birthday, attend my grandchildren’s graduations, and even welcome great-grandchildren into the world. Who knows? It could happen. Maybe my new P word should be “persevere.” 

This My PD Story was originally published in The Boston Globe’s Ideas section. Bob Regan is a songwriter in Nashville, TN. 

Learn more about Living with Parkinson’s and explore Parkinson’s Foundation Resources today.  

My name is Julie, and I was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) in 2018 at the age of 44. Since my diagnosis, my most prominent symptoms have been rigidity, slowness of movement, and foot dystonia.  

Part of my PD journey involves a scary hospital experience in 2023. While my daughter and I were on a cross-country road trip together I began experiencing severe dyskinesia (involuntary, erratic, writhing movements of the face, arms, legs or trunk) and cramping. This is fairly common for me, and sometimes, when this happens, I use THC (medical marijuana) to find relief.  

However, when I did this time, I became unresponsive, which had never happened before. My daughter pulled over to call 911 and an ambulance transported me to the hospital. 

The next thing I knew, I woke up in the ER. I thought I was having a bad dream. My daughter explained to the medical team that I have Parkinson’s, and like many others, use THC to help manage my symptoms.  

The ER team was convinced I was a drug addict and treated me like I had done something wrong. My daughter and I were both shocked and scared. They didn’t believe I had Parkinson’s, and they refused to perform any tests or allow me to take my Parkinson’s medications. 

Unfortunately, it took several hours to convince the medical team that my Parkinson’s medications were essential. Once they realized these weren’t street drugs, my medications were administered, and my symptoms became under control.  

The doctor neglected to contact my neurologist, and further testing was never done. I was treated carelessly and discharged the same day. When I talked with my neurologist after the hospitalization, he said that I experienced a “dystonic storm.”  

Since then, I have taken time to process this traumatic experience and learned how to advocate for myself as a person with Parkinson’s. Most recently, I underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery that changed my life — and greatly improved my symptoms.  

While we don’t always know when we are headed for a hospital stay or ER visit, there are ways to prepare. The Parkinson’s Foundation Hospital Safety Guide can help you and your loved ones prepare before your next planned or unplanned hospital visit so that you feel prepared to navigate the hospital with confidence. 

Advocate for your best care with the Hospital Safety Guide. Learn more and download the guide now.