Last week there was a fantastic educational event for people with Parkinson's disease. During the next few days My Parkinson's Info will be presenting highlights from the presentations that addressed:
- Potential new treatments
- Advice on the physician-patient relationship
- Living with non-motor complications
- Sleep disorders
- Emotional issues
In a kick-off press conference, Peggy Willocks set the tone for those seeking to live better with Parkinson's disease by learning more about it. She also set our sights on the possibilities that there could be better treatments ahead. After many years of living with Parkinson's disease, Willocks slipped into a deep depression. The two conditions impaired her ability to walk. She decided to volunteer to be one of the first participants in the Spheramine clinical trial. In her speech yesterday, she walked us through the experience of having cells implanted into her brain.
Her outcome has been encouraging. "I am far from cured, but I can walk most of the time without assistance, and my off times are fewer and less severe," Willocks said. "My spirits remain high, and my hopes higher. We'll never know what we can do until we try."
Most people living with serious health conditions like Parkinson's disease are understandably hesitant to participate in clinical trials. A clinical trial represents unknown risks. A clinical trial involving a brain procedure is an even larger leap.
Just days before her surgery Willocks was presenting to a group of people with Parkinson's about the procedure. "I didn't know a neurologist was sitting in the audience," Willocks said. "The doctor hastily spoke out, 'This operation is risky!'"
"Without hesitation, I looked her in the eye and said, 'So is living with Parkinson's.' Then I finished my presentation with this statement: 'We'll never know what we can do until we try.'"
