For the week of April 10, 2022:
April is Parkinson’s awareness month in British Columbia and April 11 is World Parkinson’s Day.
The degenerative disease causes a loss of control of movements, body and emotions. Scientists continue their quest to find a cure. But a deep brain stimulation implant can treat the symptoms and vastly improve the quality of life.
In B.C., the waiting list for the surgery is measured in years. In other provinces, it’s measured in months.
In February 2019, B.C. NDP Health Minister Adrian Dix promised a second surgeon would be hired and funded to deal with the backlog. More than three years later, Parkinson’s patients wait and wonder if it will ever happen.
Vancouver sportswriter Michael Harling is one of the 15,000 people in B.C. living with Parkinson’s and a guest on this week’s edition of theBreaker.news Podcast with Bob Mackin.
Harling said Dix has an obligation to live up to his commitments, “to honour his word, and to be fair to people with Parkinsons, give them what he promised.”
Also, commentary and Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.
CLICK BELOW to listen or go to TuneIn or Apple Podcasts.
Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive.
Support theBreaker.news for as low as $2 a month on Patreon. Find out how. Click here.
