Brain Storms Quotes

“realized while I was announcing myself to the group that I was conceding something profound: that the diagnosis marked an irreversible change in my identity, the moment that one version of me ended and another version”
― Jon Palfreman, Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease

“People with Parkinson’s are very lucky to have L-dopa. There is no equivalent therapy for other neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Whatever its limitations, L-dopa turned Parkinson’s from a condition in which victims experienced a rapid slide toward immobility and death into a chronic disease with a gradual trajectory of decline. A”
― Jon Palfreman, Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease

“While L-dopa was vastly superior to what came before, the drug fell far short of being a cure. On the one hand, the L-dopa allowed “frozen” wheelchair-bound individuals to walk again and increased patients’ life expectancy. On the other hand, virtually all patients taking levodopa were sentenced to future disabling motor complications. And that’s as true today as it was in 1970.”
― Jon Palfreman, Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease

“Whether you’re the researcher, the health-care professional, the family member, the friend, the person with Parkinson’s, persevere … our journey together may very well be a long one … don’t give up. You never know what is just around the next corner … never lose hope … persevere, this race as well can be won.”
― Jon Palfreman, Brain Storms: The Race to Unlock the Mysteries of Parkinson's Disease