Thomas B. Graboys, 63, is the author of "Life in the Balance: A Physician's 
Memoir of Life, Love and Loss with Parkinson's Disease," written with Peter 
Zheutlin.

By Lauren Daley
Standard-Times staff writer
May 16, 2008 6:00 AM
Fall River native Thomas B. Graboys, 63, was a top Boston cardiologist when 
he began to experience symptoms of Parkinson's disease seven years ago.
At first it was little things - simple math problems became increasingly 
difficult for the Harvard medical professor.
Today, the onetime athlete has trouble walking. It's hard to eat with a 
fork. He gave up sports. Sometimes his illness causes such confusion that he 
can't remember how to find his way back to his bedroom from the kitchen.
He suffers involuntary tremors, sweats and jerking movements of his arms and 
legs.
He has nightmares so terrifying he once fell out of bed and broke his teeth.
To make matters worse, his first wife died of cancer just before the onset 
of this unrelenting disease.
The doctor is now the patient.
But despite it all, he says, he remains an optimist, and still has his sense 
of humor.
In a book published last month, "Life in the Balance: A Physician's Memoir 
of Life, Love and Loss with Parkinson's Disease," Dr. Graboys describes his 
battle with Parkinson's and Lewy body disease.
Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder that is chronic and progressive, 
meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time. As many as 1 million 
Americans suffer from it.
Lewy body disease is a cause of dementia very similar to Alzheimer's.
There is currently no cure for either.
Because the combination makes it hard to think clearly, never mind write, 
Dr. Graboys wrote the book with the help of with freelance journalist Peter 
Zheutlin.
But 15 years ago, Dr. Graboys was at the top of his game.
The senior physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital and clinical professor 
at Harvard Medical was recruited by the Celtics to treat the heart problems 
of star Reggie Lewis, who ultimately died in 1993.
His achievements, memberships and awards are numerous, including being among 
the team of doctors who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985 for their work 
with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War.
The Standard-Times recently spoke with Dr. Graboys on the phone from his 
Boston home.
S-T: How has your view of medicine changed now that you've become the 
patient?
Dr. Graboys: It's very complicated, being a patient. After all these years 
... (pauses) Bear with me, I have these lapses. If you wait, it comes back. 
That's part of the frustration.
It's very frustrating. I've lost my ability to be articulate. In years past, 
I'd pride myself on my ability to speak, but I've lost that. (And I have) 
other cognitive problems - mathematics, conceptualizations, trying to 
maintain a thought process. I'm out of control.
When you go down my road and you find you're losing control... (pause) The 
first title of the book was "Losing Control" but that was rejected by folks 
in New York as too much of a downer. But the point is, losing control, we 
have to deal with it.
I still have a sense of humor; I try to minimize my whining. I'm blessed 
with support from Vicki, who is holding down two full-time jobs - one is her 
company, one is me. She's above and beyond.
S-T: Vicki is your second wife. How did you meet?
Dr. Graboys: One of my daughters introduced me to her at a Christmas party a 
number of years ago. My daughter Sarah said, "I met a woman you should call 
for dinner." The rest, as they say, is history.
It's actually coming up on the 10th anniversary of (his first wife) 
Caroline's (death from cancer in 1998.) She was a real people's person; she 
ran the Fuller Museum in Brockton. She was very popular in Brockton. She 
could've run for mayor.
S-T: You grew up in Fall River?
Dr. Graboys: Yes, where the old Truesdale Hospital is. I went to Tabor 
(Academy) in Marion. Vicki and I are on the Board of Trustees at Tabor. I 
graduated from Friends Academy in Dartmouth, Class of '58. ...
Actually, I started out working at Truesdale at age 16 - that would never be 
allowed now; those were days before malpractice. I drew blood, did IVs, did 
chemical tests ...
Then I went to Cornell, then to medical school in New York, was an intern at 
Boston City Hospital, went into the Air Force, then came back and finished 
my training in cardiology. The last 30 years, before the disease, I was 
reasonably well-known.
I'm still a professor of medicine at Harvard, but I no longer see patients. 
The strength of my teaching is to coach the second-year students about 
caring, taking care of patients, trying to have it be focused on patient 
care rather than technology; how do you speak to patients, how do you convey 
issues of optimism and hope, not to create anxiety, to take care of people.
The S-T: Are you able to concentrate in the classroom?
Dr. Graboys: It's exhausting. I can wake up in the morning and get going, 
but after a few hours, I fatigue badly. The disease is non-relenting. I 
can't get a day off.
Even when I sleep, I get these terrible nightmares. It's enough to catapult 
you out of bed it's so horrendous. I had one situation where I thought there 
was a tunnel ahead, and I threw myself onto the floor and broke my teeth.
My problem is not curable but it can be managed. (Long pause.) It's 
manageable. You take pills every four to six hours. If you miss, the 
symptoms come back. It's easy to feel out of control. I have to take 10 
pills a day; I don't know what the long-term effect of the pills is going to 
be.
S-T: When did you suspect you had a problem?
Dr. Graboys: In retrospect, I look back at items like having trouble in the 
lab, not being able to do simple math. On the other hand, I can still 
exercise vigorously. I'm addicted to spinning. Plus I do yoga. 
Psychologically, it's important because I was once a scholastic athlete.
I can't ski now. I can't play tennis.
S-T: When did the disease really start, though?
Dr. Graboys: Probably seven years ago, just cognitive dysfunction, skipping 
phrases, difficulty in day-to-day. I desperately denied there was anything 
going on. But after a while, colleagues, nurses, all noticed I was not 
myself. I was chronically fatigued.
It slowly progressed over a year. There were times I couldn't dictate. In 
cardiology, there's no room for error. I got to a point where I had to step 
back. I had to retire. But I'm still a doctor.
S-T: When were you officially diagnosed?
Dr. Graboys: It's difficult to give the exact date. Diagnosing Parkinson's 
takes five, six, seven years before you know what's going on. That was the 
time frame with me.
S-T Is Parkinson's genetic?
Dr. Graboys: About a third of cases are genetic, a third is unknown, a third 
is exposure to toxins. In my case, it may well be genetic; both my parents 
had forms of dementia.
S-T: What are your thoughts on stem cell research in finding a cure for 
Parkinson's?
Dr. Graboys: I don't know enough about stem cell research. I think it may 
offer a treatment, but that may not be in my lifetime. I'm optimistic that 
if they can't cure it, they can make things tolerable and stable.
In the face of uncertainty, there's nothing wrong with hope.
It's a lousy diagnosis. This is not a lot of fun. This is unhappy. Every day 
I have to depend on someone else for very simple things.
S-T: Like what?
Dr. Graboys: Getting dressed; lapses where I'm not sure where I am. The list 
could go on. Pouring juice. Eating.
I am really slow. And having grown up being really fast, it's extremely 
frustrating.
S-T: You say in the book you had an urgency to write it now.
Dr. Graboys: I had urgency in that I can't predict the rate of change. It's 
a slow progression, but I can't say that in six months I'll be at this level 
of articulate that you and I are talking now.
S-T: You are a big believer in hope, though.
Dr. Graboys: I'm basically an optimist. I feel I have enough strength to 
deal, even when the deck seems stacked against me. I refuse to let despair 
into my realm. I have five grandsons who are my pride and joy. I don't want 
people feeling sorry for me.
"Life in the Balance" (Sterling, 224 pages) is available at most book stores 
for $19.95.
Contact Lauren Daley at [log in to unmask]
Rayilyn Brown
Board Member AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson's Foundation
[log in to unmask] 

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