Simon said her problems began with arthritis in both knees and one of her hips. However, her mobility failed to improve after three replacement surgeries.
“I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm,” she said.
“Overstuffed furniture became my enemy. Once seated, I could feel as though I had been swallowed by the chair and might remain there permanently, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome.
“Eventually, there were periods when I could not walk without considerable help. My family and I knew that something more was going on. After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
The musician has been receiving medication and treatment; but says the condition also comes with episodes of anxiety, depression, and apathy.
“The apathy is particularly strange,” she observed.
“You can find yourself lying there like a starfish drying in the sun, arms pointing in all directions, while nothing inside is telling you to get up, read, watch, write, sing, call someone, or do much of anything at all.
“That has been one of the hardest things to explain. It is not simply sadness or laziness. It is as though the part of the brain that sends out invitations to participate in life has temporarily misplaced the guest list.”