Source : PERTHNOW NEWS
Alan Alda’s first symptom of Parkinson’s was “throwing” a pillow at his wife.
In 2018, the M*A*S*H star publicly revealed he had been diagnosed with the incurable, progressive neurological condition, which can cause stiffness and problems with movement and balance, three and a half years earlier.
Alan was 79 when he experienced his first – and uncommon – symptom, REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD).
Cleveland Clinic says can be an early sign of a neurological condition, with “most people with idiopathic RBD will eventually develop a neurodegenerative condition — specifically, Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia or multiple system atrophy (MSA)”.
In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, The West Wing alum explained: “I had no twitch, no tremor, no problems with my voice.”
He added: “I had a symptom which, at the time, was not that well-known. Acting out your dreams.
“I had a dream that somebody was attacking me. And I picked up a sack of potatoes and threw it at ‘em. What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife.”
Alan, 90, has accepted his Parkinson’s diagnosis and vowed not to let the condition define him.
He said: “I really think reality is my friend. I don’t want to wish it away. I can’t wish it away. I can’t hope for a better future. I gotta accept what is.
“I don’t let Parkinson’s define me. It’s not who I am. It’s just a hobby.”
He credited humour for helping him cope with Parkinson’s.
The Ray Donovan entertainer said: “The best way to deal with anything that’s a little bit of a problem is to find out what’s funny about it and laugh at it.
“I’ll be at the computer keyboard writing an email, and Dr. Parkinson is moving my hand all over the screen. I have the mouse, and he’s eliminating things, and he’s deleting things that I need.”
Alan laughed as he added: “I find what makes me laugh about it, and then I go tell Arlene.”
The Tower Heist cast member and Arlene met at a mutual pal’s dinner party in Manhattan, New York City, in 1956, and they got married the following year.
Alan and Arlene are parents to daughters Eve, Elizabeth, and Beatrice, and they have eight grandchildren.
