After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2015, Rebbeca King Crews and her husband, Terry Crews, host of America’s Got Talent, opened up about her challenges with the disease and a treatment that has offered hope.
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It Took Four Years Before King Crews Received a Diagnosis
Symptoms began appearing in 2011, during a stressful time when the couple was working on reconciling their marriage, she told People.
“I thought it was just the stress because of everything we were going through,” she says. In the months that followed, her leg began dragging, she started forgetting where she parked her car, and her trainer noticed that her left arm seemed oddly stiff. “And then one morning I woke up with a tremor and I thought, ‘Hmmm, I know what that means,’” says Rebecca, whose grandmother and uncle were diagnosed with Parkinson’s when she was young.” It took doctors four years to connect the dots to the progressive brain disorder. Crews-King didn’t want to accept the diagnosis and instead leaned on her faith, prayer, and her determination to fight.
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What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, and it worsens over time. Initial symptoms may vary, but are often like King Crews, whose arms didn’t swing when she walked. As the disease progresses, the Mayo Clinic says other symptoms may include:
- Tremors: This rhythmic shaking usually begins in the hands or fingers. Sometimes tremor begins in the foot or jaw.
- Movements that are slowed down: It may be difficult to get out of a chair, shower, or get dressed.
- Rigid muscles
- Poor posture and balance issues
- Trouble writing
- Speech changes
There is no specific test to diagnose Parkinson’s, so it often takes time to find the cause of these symptoms.
According to the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, the incidence of African Americans diagnosed with the disorder versus white patients is inconclusive. “Research in African Americans, in particular, has been conflicting. Some studies have found similar prevalence rates in African Americans and whites, whereas other studies have found much lower prevalence and incidence rates in African Americans.”
What has been proven is that people in our community are often diagnosed later. The Parkinson’s Foundation notes that “Black and African American people with Parkinson’s face later diagnoses, less access to specialists, and barriers to research participation due to health disparities.”
King Crews Tried a New FDA-Approved Treatment
The Crews joined Craig Melvin on TODAY this week to discuss King Crews’ journey with Parkinson’s and the new treatment she underwent last month on the right side of her body, which uses sound waves to address the debilitating symptoms of the disease. After the procedure, King Crews feels good. “I am able to write my name, dates, and I am able to write with my right hand for the first time in three years,” she said. “And I can do a Port de bras, balancing on my right leg.”
The producer, wife, mother of five, and breast cancer survivor says that she is seeing improvement in her symptoms, but recovery may take up to three months. She is planning to have the second procedure on the left side of her body in September. King Crews made it clear that she never wanted to share her story to make others feel sorry for her; instead, she came forward because this noninvasive technique represents the new frontier in medicine.
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