Cardiologist Publishes Memoir about His Own Parkinson's and LBD

Thomas Graboys, a Boston cardiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and then with Lewy body disease. In April 2008, he published a memoir of his experiences called Life in the Balance: A Physician's Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss with Parkinson's Disease and Dementia (with co-author Peter Zheutlin). Writing the memoir took 2 1/2 years. Publication was timed to coincide with Parkinson's Awareness Month.

According to Graboys's website, "Despite the physical, mental and emotional toll he battles daily, Graboys continues his life-long mission of caring for the world one human being at a time by telling his story so that others may find comfort, inspiration, or validation in their own struggles. ... His is not a sugar-coated story with a silver lining; brutally honest and direct, this is an unflinching memoir of a devastating illness as only a consummate physician could write it. One can't help but imagine what Dr. Graboys, the healer, would say to Tom Graboys, the Parkinson's patient — a face-to-face scene imagined in this inspiring book. In his joint roles, Thomas Graboys finds a way to convey hope, optimism and an appreciation of what it means to be truly alive."

You can read more about Graboys and his memoir or listen to a radio interview.