Channeling Creativity Throughout the Parkinson’s Journey

Substantial Matters: Life & Science of Parkinson’s

Many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) continue to work, socialize, and enjoy life, making accommodations as necessary to fit the disease into their lifestyles. And while no one would choose to have PD, some people have even found or created benefits of having it. One of them is Barry Blaustein, an award-winning Hollywood writer, director, and producer, who wrote several of Eddie Murphy’s movies and developed several of his Saturday Night Live characters, writing many of Murphy’s skits with his writing partner. When we spoke, he had been living with PD for five years, working during that time in Hollywood and teaching screen writing at the university level. In this episode, he describes how he has dealt with his disease, continued to work, and maintained an upbeat attitude.