Sue Goldie Has Parkinson's Disease

"Dr. Sue Goldie doesn't recognize the symptoms at first. Maybe she ignores them, wishes them away. It is 2021. She is 59, in the prime of a long teaching career at Harvard. She has just immersed herself in the sport of triathlon. One coach notes something off with her running cadence. Another wonders why her left arm isn't fully lifting out of the water. A trainer sees a slight tremor. The first time Sue races, she feels a strange vibration, like an internal tremble."

"For four years, she keeps her diagnosis from most Harvard administrators, colleagues and students, worried about what it will do to her reputation. She grows more comfortable revealing herself away from work, in the world of triathlon. I feel very strongly that I should be able to disclose this when I want, how I want, and it's under my control, she tells me last year. But Parkinson's does not wait."

Symptoms began as a tingle, tremor and altered gait while training for triathlons. Tests confirmed Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurological disorder that impairs motor skills and sometimes cognition. The diagnosis prompted emotional turmoil and practical dilemmas about disclosure to administrators, colleagues and students. The subject concealed the condition for four years, revealing it more openly within the athletic community. Daily life included medication regimens, off periods with reduced mobility, and visible and hidden signs such as pill boxes and morning imbalance. The condition raised questions about identity, control over disclosure, and the tension between professional reputation and personal realities.

Read at www.nytimes.com