Her father suffers from Parkinson's disease: Magali Lepine Blondeau felt 'alone and helpless'

When she learned that her father, Marc Blondeau, had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Magali Lepine-Blondeau realized she knew absolutely nothing about this disease that affects 23,000 Quebecers.

“I faced my complete ignorance regarding the disease,” the actress said, during an interview conducted on the sidelines of the announcement of her appointment as a spokeswoman for the Parkinson’s Quebec organization.

She's not the only one.

Over the years, celebrities such as Michael J. Fox, Muhammad Ali and Ozzy Osbourne have revealed that they have the world's fastest-growing neurological disorder. Triple star Back to the future We've talked about this disease widely for more than 30 years, but Parkinson's disease remains a mystery.

We know that tremor is the most obvious sign, but it is not the only symptom of the disease.

“This is one of the reasons I wanted to get involved,” explains Magali Lepine Blondeau. I find it very important to talk about the disease so that we know it better, to break taboos and eliminate shame.

Confidentiality

Shame. In fact, the actress and her sister Eugenie discovered that people with Parkinson's prefer not to disclose their condition.

“My father did not want to talk about it to anyone around him because of the stigma surrounding the disease. To respect his procedures, he asked us not to talk about it and limit the research we could do online about the disease.

Magali Lepine Blondeau admits she felt “alone and helpless.” “I also had my operation,” she explains.

Since his role in Parkinson's Quebec was announced on Sunday, everyone is talking about it, It has received many testimonials that abound in the same direction.

“These are the people who feel alone when they learn about Parkinson's disease and deal with it. Suddenly they realize they are not alone.

on the screen

Magali Lepine Blondeau believes that knowing more about Parkinson's disease can also allow you to show more understanding, even before diagnosis.

“We noticed changes in his slow movements and rapid speech and I was becoming impatient with him. I blamed myself a lot after that. It was not an insult on my part, but I knew I was intolerant.

Furthermore, Magali Lepine Blondo might welcome a character in a movie or TV series who suffers from Parkinson's disease.

“If I write, it will definitely be part of my world,” says the woman who says she supports as much representation as possible of what shapes us as people on screen.

• For more information about the disease, go to parkinsonquebec.ca.