It’s often believed that Parkinson’s is an “old white man’s disease.” However, the more we learn about Parkinson's, the more we understand the diversity of people it affects. For example, approximately 40 percent of people living with the disease are women, and their experiences are typically quite different from men.
In this raw and emotional conversation, four women with Parkinson’s living in four different countries discuss the challenges faced by women due to delayed diagnosis, hormonal changes, lack of information and treatment, inequity in research and gender biases. They share with listeners how they empower themselves to live better with the disease by advocating for themselves with their health care team and how they empower other women through awareness and activism.
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Soania Mathur, MD, speaker, writer, advocate and member of The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Patient Council leads a conversation with:
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Richelle Flanagan is a registered dietician and co-founder of the Women’s Parkinson’s Project and digital health startup My Moves Matter. She was diagnosed in 2017 at age 46 and lives in Dublin, Ireland.
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Omotola Thomas is an advocate, speaker and the founder and director of Parkinson’s Africa. She was diagnosed in 2016 at age 35 and lives in London.
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Kat Hill is an author, speaker and co-founder of the Women’s Parkinson’s Project. She was diagnosed in 2015 at age 48 after a long career as a nurse practitioner and midwife in Portland, Oregon.
View a transcript of this podcast.
Interested in contributing to research on this topic? MJFF’s online clinical study, Fox Insight, plans to release another survey on the experience of being a woman with Parkinson’s. Join at foxinsight.org to be notified when the survey is released in the coming months.
Participate in the pilot study "Tracking Parkinson’s Disease (PD) symptoms, medications, and menstruation" in collaboration with researchers at the University College Cork, Ireland. They're recruiting women of all ages for this study.
Find more information about living with Parkinson’s as a woman in Ask the MD: Being a Woman + Having Parkinson’s = Unique Experiences.
Connect with other women who share your experiences with Parkinson’s. The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Parkinson’s Buddy Network is a free, online platform that helps you find new connections, access educational resources and engage in important dialogue. Join our community today.