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Murray, I just wrote to the Boston Herald to see if they would help me contact that pianist, Carol Farley. I also happen to be a 51-year-old piano player here in Buffalo, so I'd like to find out more than was told in this short article, about her PD and its effect on her playing. Could help me prepare for my own future. It's heartening to see people can continue to do their chosen work for some time after the onset of symptoms. I was really troubled for quite a while when it became obvious that I have PD. But I just became determined to appreciate what time I have, like everybody should, and make the best of it. So far I have lost the edge off of my technique, but I've also found, due to my attitude shift, that my playing is getting much more thoughtful and musical. (ref. MJ Fox's "gift that keeps on taking"...) I'm looking forward to my next gig, hopeful that there will be many more. Thanks, Murray, for providing so much info for us. Rick McGirr ----- Original Message ----- From: "Murray Charters" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Monday, November 22, 2004 10:14 AM Subject: An Electric Moment: Pianist Overcomes Parkinson's (DBS) > An Electric Moment: Pianist Overcomes Parkinson's > By Marie Szaniszlo > SOURCE: Boston Herald, MA > WWWeb: http://tinyurl.com/5hqtp > > Saturday, November 20, 2004 > > The first sign came eight years ago. Carol Farley was preparing for a > piano recital when her right hand suddenly faltered. > > Farley didn't think much of it at the time, but as the months went > by, other signs followed: the tremor of a muscle, a slowness of > movement, a peculiarity in her gait. > > They mystified a string of acupuncturists and physicians, until one > offered her a prescription for a drug used to treat Parkinson's > disease. If it worked, it would relieve the symptoms. It also would > confirm a hunch they hoped was wrong. > > "It was devastating," the 51-year-old Cambridge woman said. "It was > difficult to walk. . . . Not being able to play the piano was like > having your soul amputated." > > And yet yesterday, as she gave her first public recital in eight > years at Boston Medical Center, there was no hint of the progressive > neurological disease that nearly ended her career. There was only > her, and the piano, and Bach, and in the audience, a medical staff > moved to the verge of tears. > > "It was amazing," said Dr. Jules Nazzaro, the hospital's chief of > functional neurosurgery. "It was one of those moments that sends > chills through you." > > Last summer, Nazzaro led the team that reduced Farley's need for > medication through deep brain stimulation, a treatment that calls for > an electrode to be inserted into the brainstem while the patient is > awake. The end of the electrode is hooked up to a wire inserted under > the skin from the head to the chest, where it is connected to a > battery that sends electrical signals to the brain, interrupting the > abnormal ones caused by the disease. > > The treatment is not a cure, Nazzaro stresses. Farley occassionally > still catches herself off balance, or finds her leg fidgeting as she > sits at the piano. But if her playing yesterday was not entirely up > to her exacting standards, it was not for want of skill. > > "I'd forgotten how nervous you could get," she said with a smile. > > SOURCE: Boston Herald, MA > WWWeb: http://tinyurl.com/5hqtp > > * * * > > -------------------------------------------------------------------- -- > To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] > In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn