Discovering relatable moments about living with Parkinson’s on ‘Shrinking’

Spoiler alert if you haven’t streamed!

After I watched the first two seasons of the television show “Shrinking,” I thought it was impossible to love it more. Well … I love it even more.

I enjoy watching this village of people, both old and young, support one another through life’s complexities, like grief, loss, love, and friendship. Their bonds remind me of simpler times, when neighbors could be just like family.

But it’s my personal connection to Parkinson’s disease that makes it must-see TV for me and my husband.

Playing it for real

When I read that Michael J. Fox was going to play a character with Parkinson’s, I could hardly wait for the season’s first episode.

It is rare that an actor who has a chronic condition plays a character with that same illness. Michael J. Fox’s real-life experience with Parkinson’s informs his character Gerry, making “Shrinking” and its portrayal of living with Parkinson’s even more authentic and impactful.

Actors Harrison Ford (far left) and Michael J. Fox capture the reality of living with Parkinson’s in “Shrinking.” (Courtesy of Apple TV+)

Harrison Ford is Paul, a therapist who’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s. He meets Gerry in the neurology office waiting room, where they start comparing notes on their disease.

While it’s clear that their experiences are different, they are still, as Gerry points out with heartbreaking honesty, “all on the same sh*tty train to Sucksville.”

What I love about the scene — and the entire show — is how they manage to make it humorous while also provoking a wide range of emotions. It’s not typical for a TV show to bring you to tears and true laughter in the span of an episode. This show achieves both.

Our reality on screen

Though Parkinson’s disease is just one of many storylines, my personal connection to my husband’s journey makes it resonate deeply, while also helping, I believe, the audience connect with its real-life impact.

While no two patients with Parkinson’s have the same version of the disease, I see aspects of my husband’s experience — the struggle of dealing both physically and emotionally with progressing symptoms — reflected back at me on the small screen.

The scene where Paul’s tremors make a mundane task like squeezing toothpaste a struggle captures a relatable reality for many people with Parkinson’s.

I particularly empathize with Paul as he encounters many of the same symptoms, challenges, and emotions that we dealt with early on, such as:

• feelings of loss, anger, grief, and sadness
• movement issues like slowness, stiffness, and tremors, that can make everyday tasks nearly impossible
• medications that rarely provide adequate symptom control
• speech issues that complicate communication and socialization with friends, family, and work colleagues
• an inability to complete necessary work tasks, and the possibility of a career changing or even ending
• resentment of the “babysitting” that accompanies a diagnosis, while also learning to accept help from caregivers, friends, and family

Showing these symptoms — including how a urinary tract infection can trigger hallucinations, which may seem similar to Parkinson’s psychosis — can hopefully foster empathy, awareness, and a better understanding of the variability and unpredictability of Parkinson’s disease.

Obviously, I can’t say enough about how much I appreciate this show for the laughter and tears it brings me. And for the awareness it raises about a disease that affects my family every minute of every day.

Yes, Michael/Gerry, we are all on that one-way train to Sucksville. With no stops in sight. But I am grateful to have “Shrinking” as a companion on this ride. And I can’t wait to get on board again for another season.

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