20 <strong>Lundbeck</strong> Magazine 2009 Hoping for a lifebelt Mehmet Cengiz has had Parkinson’s disease for six years. His health condition has gradually worsened, and his hopes are now pinned on scientists discovering a new drug for the disease. Mehmet Cengiz’s face lights up despite his serious condition when he speaks of his hope in the progress of research in Parkinson’s disease. He became ill six years ago, and now, at the age of 48, his illness has progressed to a stage that occasionally makes it difficult for him to walk and speak. He still works, but as the disease progresses, working is becoming more and more difficult. He no longer dares to make plans for the future, but is still hoping that scientists will discover new medications and new forms of treatment that can combat the disease and improve his quality of life. This is one of the things that keep him going. Dropped the salt It all began six years ago with a tingling in his left arm. “I dropped the salt I had in my fingers, and my friends asked why I held my left arm against my body in such a strange way,” Mehmet Cengiz recalls, sitting at home in his flat in Istanbul. He thought that a nerve in his arm had been damaged. But there was nothing wrong with his nerves. Instead, a doctor asked him if he had ever heard of Parkinson’s disease. “I had no idea what it was, and I was shocked when I was given the diagnosis. It is difficult and very alarming to learn that one has a chronic and incurable disease.” Mehmet Cengiz says. At home, he began searching the Internet to find out more about the disease, and discovered that he was far from alone. Among famous Parkinson’s patients, he discovered names such as Pope John Paul II, Bülent Ecevit,the former Prime Minister of Turkey, the actor Michael J. Fox, and the boxer Muhammad Ali. Involuntary isolation Even though he shares the diagnosis with approximately 0.2 per cent of the population in Turkey and the rest of the world, his illness has still sent him into a form of involuntary isolation. He used to travel frequently and often spent time with friends and family. But he rarely goes out anymore, primarily because he sometimes has difficulty walking and speaking, and easily becomes tired. But also because he feels that people stare at him. In addition to decreased mobility and tremors in the hands, another typical symptom is loss of facial expression. This means that others have difficulty in interpreting the expressions on one’s face, and sometimes think that one is displeased or angry when this is not at all the case. “My family have grown accustomed to it, but it is more difficult with friends and acquaintances. I still feel that they stare at me,” Mehmet Cengiz says. For this reason, he prefers to stay at home in the flat with his wife and daughter. “It would be good if ordinary people knew more about Parkinson’s disease. I am continually asked to explain what Parkinson’s disease is, and I don’t always feel like doing it or have the energy to do so,” he says. Parkinson’s patients in Turkey do not yet have an association that can help spread knowledge of the disease. Recently, however, Mehmet Cengiz has improved a great deal, due to a new combination of medicine. This has given him the courage to go out again and to get some exercise. His wife has also given up her job so she can help him in his store where he sells electric cables. “My neurologist could hardly believe her eyes when she saw me a few days ago,” Mehmet Cengiz recalls with satisfaction in his voice. Medically, he feels that he is in good hands, and the national health system also pays for his medicine. So, even though he takes one day at a time, the new treatment has given Mehmet Cengiz a ray of hope for himself and for the future. PHOTO: Simon ladefoged
"For me, any new form of treatment would be like getting a lifebelt in a storm at sea" 21
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