Women and Parkinson's Archives

Women and Parkinson's

Cathy Molohan on the “balancing act” of work and Parkinson’s disease
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Women and Parkinson's

Richelle Flanagan on connecting with the Parkinson’s disease community
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Women and Parkinson's

Teresa Borque on diagnosis, identity and learning to say ‘me first’
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“It’s essential to create a workplace where chronic illness is not taboo”

Cathy Molohan on the “balancing act” of work and Parkinson’s disease

“We do ourselves an injustice by just suffering through it”

Richelle Flanagan on connecting with the Parkinson’s disease community

An illustration of a woman looking in a mirror.

“Parkinson’s disease feels like an ally of sexism”

Teresa Borque on diagnosis, identity and learning to say ‘me first’

7 famous women with Parkinson’s

Can you name a well-known woman with Parkinson’s disease?

“Look at us – we are here”

To mark International Women’s Day, we share our campaign highlights

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“Helping women with Parkinson’s know they are not alone”

Francisca Ruiz González on making women with Parkinson’s visible

“Finding information about being a woman with Parkinson’s was challenging”

Kathleen Reardon on diagnosis and being heard by doctors

“Life isn’t easy”: how coronavirus is affecting women with Parkinson’s

Four women with Parkinson’s share their experience of lockdown

The women blazing the trail in Parkinson’s tech and innovation

Have you heard about these Parkinson’s technology inventions?

“Incompetence, racism and prejudice delayed my diagnosis”

Manon Day on being a young black woman with Parkinson’s

“Recognising gender difference is essential for Parkinson’s research”

The research gap, revealed by neurologist Marina Picillo

“We need to be having more conversations about menopause”

One woman’s story about the approach of menopause

Women and Parkinson’s: menstruation, medication and motherhood

Our podcast shines a light on how women experience the condition

Women and Parkinson’s: “Being pregnant was scary”

One woman’s poignant account of pregnancy and Parkinson’s

Women and Parkinson’s: “My medication only works three weeks out of four”

An honest account of menstruation, medication and symptoms

“We are not just variants of men”

Our new campaign centres the experiences of women with Parkinson’s

Could traumatic brain injury accelerate the onset of Parkinson’s disease?

Undergoing a traumatic brain injury (TBI) – a sudden injury that damages the brain – may be linked to Parkinson’s onset at an earlier age, new research suggests. The study, led by researchers in the US, examined data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Centre (NACC) database and assessed whether TBI was associated with age of disease onset, survival and the degeneration of dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain. They found that while there was no significant association with age of death or greater impact on dopamine-producing nerve cells, results showed that TBI was linked to a 4.9-year earlier age of Parkinson’s onset. Reflecting on the results, the researchers wrote that traumatic brain injury “appears to accelerate Parkinson’s onset without altering age of death”. However, the researchers also cautioned that “the nature of this relationship remains unclear”.

NASA astronaut who lived with Parkinson’s disease has died

“When I got diagnosed with Parkinson’s I thought it was over,” US astronaut Michael “Rich” Clifford once said, in a webcast conversation with Parkinson’s expert Dr Ray Dorsey. But when US space agency NASA offered him another opportunity to board a space shuttle, despite the onset of Parkinson’s symptoms, he didn’t hesitate. “And it was as easy as that.” Now, nearly 30 years since his final venture into space, Clifford has died due to complications from Parkinson’s disease. He leaves a legacy of three journeys into space, several awards for his services to the space programme – including the NASA Space Flight Medal – and a history of advocacy for people with Parkinson’s. In a 2013 conversation with the Michael J Fox Foundation, Clifford said: “Everyone with Parkinson’s handles it differently. Don’t let it get in the way of living. “Life is too good. Keep going. The sky’s the limit.” Image credit:…

Sir Billy Connolly opens up about life with Parkinson’s disease in new documentary

Scottish comedian, actor and musician Sir Billy Connolly shared updates about his experiences with Parkinson’s disease in a new documentary for UK channel ITV. The documentary, titled ‘Billy Connolly: My Absolute Pleasure’, featured the comedian discussing moving to his new home in Florida Keys, US, writing his first autobiography ‘Windswept and Interesting’, and how he’s managed living with Parkinson’s. Opening up about living with the condition, Connolly said in the documentary: “Parkinson’s disease has taken a lot from me. I can’t play the banjo anymore; I can’t smoke cigars. It’s taken more and more of what I like.” Connolly also said he behaves a certain way so his children “don’t think I’m a dead loss”. Despite this, Connolly remains upbeat about managing Parkinson’s: “You have to have a Glasgow attitude and say: ‘Oh, you think you’ve got me beat? Try this for size.’ I just deal with it. If I…

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“It’s essential to create a workplace where chronic illness is not taboo”

“We do ourselves an injustice by just suffering through it”

“Parkinson’s disease feels like an ally of sexism”