Opinion: Let’s clear the air on politics and Parkinson’s

In the recent uproar over President Joe Biden’s condition, which followed his very poor debate performance on June 27, scrutiny of whether he has Parkinson’s disease or is being treated for it has picked up steam.

It has been four months since the president was last tested and there is no significant evidence to even suspect he has contracted the disease during that time. But what if he had? What if he was suffering from Parkinson’s – and had been so for over a year and a half? Would that disqualify him from running or serving as president?

I contracted Parkinson’s eight years ago. My doctor thought that if I went public at the time, it would help others to learn about the disease and get tested. But I was about to start a medical regimen that included taking carbidopa to replace dopamine, which is important for healthy brain function – it would mute the effects of the loss and slow down the progression of the symptoms; I also went to a physical therapist twice a week for exercises designed to retard the progression of the disease. So I made a deal: If I felt that the treatment was successful, I would go public in hopes of inspiring others to get tested and treated. 

The combination of the medicine and Parkinson’s-specific physical therapy mitigated the onset of the disease. I went public with my diagnosis in 2018 – and, to my surprise, I got tons of letters from people inquiring about my treatment and telling me about their own experiences with Parkinson’s. It is important to realize Parkinson’s is what they call a designer disease because each sufferer will have different symptoms. The most common symptoms are shaking in the legs, arms, or hands that can become severe, aches and pains, headaches, and hallucinations. 

In the six years that have elapsed since I went public, my only symptom – a lack of balance – has become more severe. I went from being able to walk easily with the use of a cane to the point where I am almost always dependent on using a walker to get around. It is not a terrible burden because I have become pretty good at it, and I can go anywhere, though it takes me a little bit more time to get places.

The good news is that I am still able to work 40 to 45 hours a week – and there are no other symptoms of the disease. Most importantly, for my line of work, I have not lost an iota of my cognitive ability. I am two years younger than President Biden and I can honestly say that in terms of my ability to function at the level that the president would need to, I have no doubt I could take on the job now and for the next several years. 

My story is not unique. Many Parkinson’s sufferers are afflicted with various symptoms but have not lost one iota of their cognitive abilities. When I first went public with my diagnosis, there was no shortage of people who thought Parkinson’s was a death sentence and would curtail the lifespan of the sufferer several months after getting the disease, but for many this is not the case. If you have Parkinson’s and do not contract the most debilitating of its potential symptoms, you can live a normal life and work at the same level of efficiency that you had before you got the disease. 

That is not to say Parkinson’s has not changed my life; it has, and I am frustrated that I need to get my walker even to go across the room, but it is a small burden to endure in return for continued ability to function at the same high level that I have had all my adult life. So, could I imagine a president continuing to remain on the job if he or she contracted Parkinson’s? Absolutely!

So even if President Biden had Parkinson’s, it would not impede his ability to be an effective president, if he, like me, started to lose his balance. You just must think back to one of our most effective presidents, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who for the 12 years he served as president had no ability to walk at all. And he provided an incredible level of leadership for not just America but the entire free world. So, too, can President Biden.