Janet Reno “showed the world that Parkinson’s does not have to define you”

Perspectives

Author: Geoffrey ChangPublished: 8 November 2016

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Campaigners celebrate the life of Janet Reno, former US Attorney General, who died after living with Parkinson’s for more than 20 years

Janet Reno, former US Attorney General under President Bill Clinton, died on Monday at the age of 78 after complications with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s campaigners paid tribute to her as a “legend” for her contribution the Parkinson’s community. She was honorary chair of Moving Day Miami, the National Parkinson Foundation’s fundraising walk, from 2012-2015, and a prominent advocate of Parkinson’s research and awareness.

As the first female Attorney General of the US, Reno served in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 2001. She was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1995 after noticing a tremor in her left hand, but continued in her government role.

John Kozyak, chairman of the Parkinson’s Foundation, praised the example she set for others living with the condition: “She set an example for people living with Parkinson’s and she set an example for so many more to live life to the fullest, to be humble and to do the right thing. I will never forget how Janet comforted me when my parents were diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She is a legend to me and many.”

Dr Michael Okun, national medical director of the Parkinson’s Foundation and professor and chairman of neurology at the University of Florida, paid tribute to Reno’s determination to not let the disease define her.

“Janet Reno lived two decades with Parkinson’s and was an amazing example to everyone suffering with this disease, showing that it is possible to live a happy life. She showed the world that Parkinson’s does not have to define you,” said Dr Okun.

Janet Reno at the National Parkinson Foundation event, Moving Day Miami

Image credit: National Parkinson Foundation

Last Month

Next Month

Go Back

Share this story

Comments

rempat

While Parkinson’s doesn’t define us, we cannot ignore it either. I’m glad that Reno sought to comfort others about it, as illustrated in this article. I look at it as an opportunity to gain further experience with it that I can use together with my other skills to help others.
Mary Spremulli,MA,CCC-SLP

When to share the diagnosis has been a topic of discussion with my LOUD Crowd members lately. Saying the PD word out loud let’s the steam out for some people, and others keep it private for longer. Treating PD like a chronic disease, much the way we think of diabetes, can keep it in perspective. Something to be managed, but also only one aspect of all that you are.

Global update

Meet the family members who #UniteForParkinsons in support of their loved ones

Parkinson's through the eyes of family members

Bill Bucklew on walking 2,500 miles for Parkinson’s

Bill Bucklew tells us why he's not afraid of failure

Free online course: learn how to be an effective Parkinson’s campaigner

More than 500 people have completed the programme so far

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is donating US $20 million to a medical trial researching the effects of musical therapy on brain conditions, including Parkinson’s. The trial will be carried out by the Sound Health initiative, a joint partnership between the NIH and The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The initiative was created to expand current knowledge of how listening, performing and creating music could be harnessed for health and wellness. Francis S. Collins, director of the NIH, said: “We know that the beat of a metronome can steady the gait of someone with Parkinson’s disease, for example, but we don’t fully understand how that happens. “If we can pinpoint in the brain how music therapy works through the use of imaging and biomarkers, the hope is that we can improve its effectiveness and apply it more broadly to improve the lives of millions of people.”

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

In an international study, researchers from the US, Germany and Austria have used a non-invasive MRI method to develop an automated system that can diagnose Parkinson’s. As part of the study – published in medical journal ‘The Lancet Digital Health’ – researchers worked with 1,002 patients and used an imaging method that measures how water molecules diffuse in the brain. This helped them to identify where neurodegeneration is occurring. Researchers hope this will help improve the accuracy of early Parkinson’s diagnoses – which they estimate to be around 58%. Dr David Vaillancourt, who led the study, said: “Our method may help to reduce the number of misdiagnosed cases in the future. Since these diseases require unique treatment plans and different medications, and clinical trials testing new medications require the correct diagnosis, getting it right is important for patient care.”

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

The Michael J Fox Foundation has launched the ‘Ken Griffin Alpha-synuclein Imaging Competition’ – a US $10 million programme aiming to develop a game-changing tool for Parkinson’s research. As part of the competition, participating teams will compete in a scientific race to build a device that is able to identify alpha-synuclein – a protein closely associated with Parkinson’s. Although almost everyone diagnosed with Parkinson’s has clumps of alpha-synuclein in the brain, these are currently only visible when analysing tissue during autopsies. The competition is named after Ken Griffin, CEO of US investment firm Citadel who has given US $7.5 million funding to the programme. Griffin – whose father has Parkinson’s – said: “If we have the imaging capability to observe the pathology that arises from protein-misfolding in real time, and understand how drugs are impacting people in real time, that would be a major advance.”

All fields required

First name*
Last name*
Email address*
Enter Email Confirm Email
Country of residence*
About me*
- I have Parkinson's disease
- I am a partner / carer / family / friend of someone who has Parkinson's
- I am a healthcare professional with an interest in Parkinson's
- I work for a Parkinson's disease organisation
- Other
CAPTCHA
*
- By proceeding you agree to our
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Janet Reno “showed the world that Parkinson’s does not have to define you”

Perspectives

Author: Geoffrey ChangPublished: 8 November 2016

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Global update

Meet the family members who #UniteForParkinsons in support of their loved ones

Interviews

Bill Bucklew on walking 2,500 miles for Parkinson’s

Resources & Tools

Free online course: learn how to be an effective Parkinson’s campaigner

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

{title}

Subscribe

Janet Reno “showed the world that Parkinson’s does not have to define you”

Perspectives

Author: Geoffrey ChangPublished: 8 November 2016

Prep: Cook: Serves:

Last Month

Next Month

Share this story

Comments

Related articles

Global update

Meet the family members who #UniteForParkinsons in support of their loved ones

Interviews

Bill Bucklew on walking 2,500 miles for Parkinson’s

Resources & Tools

Free online course: learn how to be an effective Parkinson’s campaigner

Musical therapy study to receive $20 million in funding

Researchers develop automated system to diagnose Parkinson’s

MJFF announces $10 million competition for Parkinson’s

{title}

Subscribe

Sign in