Tammy Corrigan was just 50 years old when she was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
In May 2022, Corrigan met with Guillaume Lamotte, MD, MSc, a neurologist and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at 亚洲自慰视频 of Utah 亚洲自慰视频 who specializes in movement and autonomic disorders.
鈥淚 was in his office, and after listening to my history and watching me walk and doing some testing, he said, 鈥榊ou have Parkinson鈥檚鈥,鈥 Corrigan said. 鈥淚 looked at him and said, 鈥業鈥檓 sorry, what?鈥 I didn鈥檛 know what to think or feel.鈥
It was a lot to process, and not only because of how young she was at the time of diagnosis. Corrigan had been experiencing odd symptoms on the right side of her body for six years before her conversation with Lamotte.
In late 2015, when Corrigan was 44 years old, she and her husband went through IVF. She had a healthy baby boy in August 2016. Six months later, Corrigan started noticing that things were different on the right side of her body.
鈥淲hen I would go to the gym, I would stretch and my foot would shake a little,鈥
The symptoms moved up the right side of her body into her right arm. She could still use it, but there were tremors.
Her son was two years old when she went in for a brain scan.
鈥淭he scan showed some white matter changes in my brain,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey tested me for MS, but I didn鈥檛 have that.鈥
Corrigan鈥檚 doctor said she was too young for Parkinson鈥檚. She was diagnosed with essential tremor and prescribed beta blockers.
The beta blockers didn鈥檛 help, but Corrigan did her best to deal with her symptoms while living life.
Corrigan, a dancer, has been doing jazz, ballet, and tap for most of her life. She danced on the crimson line at the 亚洲自慰视频 of Utah and has always loved staying fit.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Corrigan still exercised but couldn鈥檛 attend her weekly dance classes.
鈥淢y exercise really slowed down at that point,鈥 she said.
Corrigan knew her gait was impacted by the tremor, and she was starting to notice more difficulties with movement in her right hand.
鈥淚 just blew it off, thinking it was essential tremor and there was nothing I could do about it,鈥 she said.
A friend recommended that Corrigan get an appointment with a neurologist at U of U 亚洲自慰视频.
鈥淪he told me they have the best specialists and the best technology,鈥 Corrigan said. 鈥淚t took me six months to get in to see Dr. Lamotte, but it was worth the wait.鈥
When she first met with Dr. Lamotte and received her diagnosis, her symptoms were still fairly mild.
鈥淪he was doing very well overall when I first met with her, and I think part of that is because she is physically active and such a bright and positive person,鈥 Lamotte said. 鈥淚 knew she was interested in exercise, so I let her know about a Parkinson鈥檚 study that looked at exercise and its effects on disease progression.鈥
Corrigan qualified for a (SPARX3) clinical trial.
The main goal of SPARX3 is to learn more about the impact of exercise鈥攕pecifically aerobic exercise鈥攐n people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease who have not yet started taking medication to manage their symptoms. SPARX3 is one of the biggest studies ever done on how exercise affects Parkinson鈥檚 patients. There are currently 25 sites enrolling patients in SPARX3 across North America.
Dr. Lamotte is one of the co-investigators of SPARX3 and saw Corrigan throughout the 18-month study.
鈥淭hroughout the clinical trial, participants do treadmill workouts four times a week,鈥 Lamotte said. 鈥淧articipants are monitored regularly throughout the study, and the goal is to see if regular aerobic exercise can slow down the progression of Parkinson鈥檚."
As Parkinson鈥檚 disease progressed, Corrigan鈥檚 symptoms began to worsen. She started taking medication and continued on the study, doing treadmill workouts three to four days a week.
Corrigan visited U of U 亚洲自慰视频 monthly for a supervised treadmill workout to make sure she was doing it safely and correctly. Every six months, the study team drew labs and ran a series of cognitive and physical tests to track symptom progression.
A year into the study, Corrigan had a brain scan to see if there was any change in the loss of dopamine neurons.
At the 18-month mark, Corrigan was released from the prescribed exercise program and was free to do any kind of exercise she wanted. All SPARX3 participants have a 24-month follow-up.
Corrigan continues living an active lifestyle to this day. She starts every day with 15 to 20 minutes of stretching to get her body moving. She and her husband walk and hike together often. Corrigan also lifts weights, works out on the elliptical machine at her home, and attends a local boxing gym that offers tailored workouts for people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease.
鈥淚 feel like the SPARX3 study really helped me to understand how important exercise is for people with Parkinson鈥檚,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t not only keeps your body moving, but it also keeps your mind sharp.鈥
Outside of exercise, Corrigan stays busy working full-time and taking care of her eight-year-old son. She also works full time as an event planner at a local non-profit organization. Through it all, she receives immense support from her son and her husband.
鈥淚 feel so fortunate, like I am doing really well,鈥 Corrigan said. 鈥淏ut there are still hard days.鈥
It took Corrigan a full six months to adjust to the medication, which can cause side effects such as nausea. People also often have to take medications several times per day. Luckily, Corrigan鈥檚 body is now used to the medication, and she no longer gets sick when she takes it.
鈥淭he medication helps a lot,鈥 she said. 鈥淏efore it kicks in and as soon as it starts to wear off, the symptoms come rushing back.鈥
The tremors aren鈥檛 the hardest part for Corrigan. It鈥檚 the anxiety.
鈥淭he anxiety comes on in full force when the medication starts to wear off,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut then I take my next dose, and I start to calm down. I call them my chill pills.鈥
Every once in a while, Corrigan has a day where the medication just doesn鈥檛 seem to work as well.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to know that there will always be hard days,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut most days I wake up and am able to do what I need to do to keep moving and I just keep going.鈥
Corrigan is still young at 53 years old. For her, SPARX3 and a lifelong commitment to exercise and fitness has helped slow the progression of Parkinson鈥檚.
鈥淔ortunately, my symptoms are still confined to the right side of my body,鈥 Corrigan said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to continue doing all I can to stay as healthy and strong as possible.鈥
Learn More about the SPARX3 Clinical Trial
A study to learn more about the effects of aerobic exercise on people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease (PD) who have been diagnosed in the last three years and have not started taking medications for their PD symptoms. You can visit the for more information about the study. To be screened for enrollment, please call (801) 587-3181 or email G.Olivier@utah.edu.