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Celebrities with PD
I have known for many years that Michael J. Fox has Parkinson’s and has been a longtime PD advocate, but I was surprised to learn recently that both Ozzy Osbourne and Neil Diamond have PD as well. Other notable people with PD include Alan Alda, Muhammed Ali, George H.W. Bush and even Pope John Paul II.
In looking at this list, I was struck by how many famous men have been diagnosed with the disease, but only a two famous women are listed. Why do you think we know more about famous men with PD than famous women? Does knowing celebrities have PD mean anything to you? (I.e., do their stories bring you hope or comfort, or does it not really matter?)
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5 Replies
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Reading about celebrities having PD is encouraging to me as I think it helps bring attention to Parkinson’s. The more everyone knows about it, the better off we all are……and the more attention it gets, the more likely we’re going to have donations and research interest in finding a cure. Additionally, it’s always interesting to hear how others, celebrities or not, are dealing with PD.
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Thanks for this, it’s nice to occasionally read something encouraging. There was an American astronaut (can’t recall who, too lazy to look it up) missing from the list, so PD has been into outer space. Maybe the reason the list is predominantly male is because men are more often struck by the disease?
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Also Linda Ronstadt. Sadly, PD put a stop to her singing. But she seems to be taking it in stride. She doesn’t mention it in her excellent autobiography.
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I for one take great comfort in seeing PD celebrities (“PD-brities”?) out there, whether it’s MJF doing Zoom calls with the cast of Back to the Future or Neil Diamond singing and playing his guitar earlier this year or Alan Alda smiling while talking about marching around his house. I’d much rather focus on this positivity and seeing folks living their lives as best as possible than… I don’t know, reading Facebook comments from folks talking about horrific PD is and how sad it is and blah blah blah. (I think those are mostly from people who don’t have it.)
Each day when I wake up—and I’m an early-onset guy diagnosed 14+ months ago—I literally say, “I’m alive and I have things to do and people to help.” I need to have positivity and daily goals to help me “stay afloat,” and some celebrities are indeed sources of inspiration to me to push on. If MJF can write books, and Neil can still belt out “Sweet Caroline”… then what can *I* do?
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Sergie Brin co-founder of Google a gene mutation that increases his likelihood of contracting Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that can impair speech, movement and other functions.
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