Nacogdoches neurologist Maria De Leon was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a decade ago at age 36. Even as a physician who specializes in treating patients with this degenerative disease, it took her about two years – going doctor to doctor -- to try figure out what was causing her pain. Ultimately, she says, she got a firm diagnosis from her mentor neurologist. Before the diagnosis, she says, people thought she was identifying too much with her patients.
“I noticed that when I was examining my patients that I was also having some difficulty doing the tasks I was asking them to do. I started getting a little bit concerned that perhaps I was developing some of the symptoms,” De Leon said, a Houston native who moved to Nacogdoches 16 years ago.
During this Parkinson’s Awareness Month, De Leon is reaching out to women who cope with the disease. Her recent book, “Parkinson’s Diva: A Woman’s Guide to Parkinson’s” acknowledges that women often have very different symptoms and side effects than men. She wants women to self-advocate, get involved in research studies and learn how the disease uniquely impacts their lives.
“Having dealt with more than 900 patients in my clinic -- here in little East Texas -- I realized there really wasn’t any material for women specifically,” De Leon said.
De Leon works with students in the School of Social Work at Stephen F. Austin State University to give them strategies for helping people cope with a complex disease that has many stages.
She’s also working with the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation to help guide programs for women and education efforts for people touched by the disease.
She’ll address the annual Iowa Parkinson’s Disease Conference in June.
De Leon says she approaches life day-by-day and often hour-by-hour now, which wasn’t always the case.
“I had been very active, being a physician and a type A personality. I was used to going and doing and multitasking. Then, suddenly I had to realize that my body doesn’t always respond to what I want it to do,” De Leon said.
