For four years she hid her Parkinson's diagnosis. Then she let a reporter follow her journey.

6 days ago

Dr. Sue Goldie and New York Times newsman John Branch recount really a private, years-long speech astir her Parkinson's became a nationalist story.

ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:

Dr. Sue Goldie is simply a expert and a starring master successful nationalist health. She teaches astatine Harvard. She's a MacArthur fellow, which I deliberation makes her a genius. She's besides a triathlete, and she's now successful her 60s. These specifications are each parts of her life, but there's 1 item that threatened to swallow up her full identity, which is why she kept it a concealed for 4 years from mostly everyone.

For nan past 2 years, she's been talking to a journalist astir her acquisition pinch a neurodegenerative illness - nan ups and downs, but successful private. This week, she went public. Reporter John Branch's communicative successful The New York Times is titled "Sue Goldie Has Parkinson's Disease."

John Branch and Dr. Sue Goldie subordinate america now. Welcome to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.

SUE GOLDIE: Thank you.

JOHN BRANCH: Thank you.

LIMBONG: Sue, you were diagnosed pinch Parkinson's successful 2021, but you'd kept it mostly a concealed until now, right? You were only telling adjacent family and friends. Why did you want to hide it?

GOLDIE: Well, I don't - actually, I wouldn't usage nan connection hide, moreover though you mightiness say, if I didn't show anyone, I was hiding it. I deliberation I was really trying to springiness myself room and clip to autumn apart, to panic, to deliberation astir what it meant for me. And it really was a process that I was going done wherever I was conscionable trying to really fig retired really I could beryllium OK, and that was a large capable task arsenic opposed to including anyone other successful that.

I guess, you person to deliberation about, what do you want to get from disclosure? I don't moreover deliberation I person known, while I was going done this and arsenic I was starting to disclose, what precisely I wanted nan different personification to opportunity to me. I deliberation it's tricky successful position of what you really are looking for.

LIMBONG: So John, erstwhile did you participate nan picture? How did you nexus up pinch Sue?

BRANCH: I learned astir Sue, I guess, successful nan outpouring of 2023. A publicity acquaintance someway knew her brother, I guess. And he told maine that location was this female who was a professor astatine Harvard who had been precocious diagnosed pinch Parkinson's and who had vanished an Ironman triathlon and thought that mightiness beryllium a communicative that mightiness liking me. So eventually, I reached retired and connected pinch Sue.

And I retrieve very, very intelligibly our very first speech complete a Zoom call. I said to Sue that I don't person awesome liking successful that peculiar story, arsenic inspiring arsenic that mightiness beryllium - that she vanished an Ironman - and thankfully, Sue agreed. I deliberation we some saw that nan communicative lied successful nan travel and not successful nan decorativeness line.

LIMBONG: So Sue, why did you make nan determination that now would beryllium nan clip to publish, to make this public?

GOLDIE: You know, I deliberation conscionable proceeding what John conscionable talked astir erstwhile we met, I'm reasoning backmost to erstwhile I first initially talked to John successful that mates of years. I didn't really deliberation of disclosure arsenic nan important point connected my mind. What I was reasoning of is - I person this disease. I'm fighting back. I'm terrified. What does this mean for me? - each of nan things that personification feels erstwhile they are panicking and they study thing astir themselves that's life-changing.

I deliberation that complete time, arsenic we went done this process, 1 of nan issues that really permeated was, who do you tell? Why do you show them? What is nan quality of your relationships? And really does this go portion of your regular life? And successful that respect, nan narration astatine work, nan narration successful your master space, is - was rather different than nan relationships I had successful much informal spaces.

I deliberation for me, what ever drives maine is, what tin I do from my perch? And I conscionable felt that I'm a physician. I'm a nationalist wellness scientist. I'm a really bully communicator, usually. You mightiness not deliberation truthful today, but I usually am.

LIMBONG: No, yeah.

GOLDIE: I'm a passionate educator. I ever want group to person nan connection truthful they tin beryllium portion of nan speech to broaden who has a voice. And I person nan disease. Like, I tin consciousness nan panic that different group feel. What does it mean for me, nan uncertainty? And I conscionable felt, nan advantages I person pinch those first fewer attributes, there's thing that I tin do. But I had to beryllium OK earlier I could really moreover deliberation astir what style that would take.

LIMBONG: Yeah. I'm guessing, for illustration virtually each different relationship, this wasn't each sunshine and roses. There were immoderate bumps. There were immoderate difficult times. There was immoderate tension, right? Is that a adjacent assumption?

GOLDIE: Sure. There were bumps.

BRANCH: Yeah, location were bumps. There were times wherever I deliberation I mislaid her spot aliases she felt I wasn't proceeding her. Sue is successful a really, really, really tricky business because nan journalistic morals by which I unrecorded and by which The New York Times does publicity doesn't let maine to show her nan communicative earlier it's published. So she is exposing to maine nan rawest parts of her life, and past I'm going to move astir and put that done a select and show that to nan world, and she doesn't cognize precisely what I'm going to show. And I tried to beryllium very sympathetic to that, but I cognize it created a batch of worry for her.

And truthful we had immoderate discussions, I think, nan past mates weeks, erstwhile I was trying to springiness her immoderate hints astir what possibly to expect without being circumstantial astir what nan communicative was, that were tricky. And I was conscionable gladsome that she didn't propulsion nan plug astatine nan end.

LIMBONG: Well, Sue, what did you deliberation of nan article?

GOLDIE: Well, here's what happened erstwhile I publication nan article. I drove to nan Charles, wherever I run, and I knew that I was going to person a guidance to mini things. I mean, we're very open. Like, John, that really pisses maine off. Like, I don't deliberation of that connection for illustration that. Like, we talk openly astir worldly for illustration that pinch humor. So I publication it, and I had my reactions, and I ran a mile. And past I came backmost to my car. I publication it again. I ran a mile. At 10 miles, I felt for illustration I could conscionable publication nan story, like, publication it, and I conscionable sobbed. I conscionable sobbed.

And, you know, nan 1 point he's ever said to maine is, I don't cognize if you're going to for illustration it. It's not even, like, a applicable question, and I truthful understand what he intends by that because I couldn't show you if I liked it. It's conscionable - it's not moreover - it's not nan correct mobility to ask. But does this communicative - does it make maine consciousness not alone? Does it make maine consciousness for illustration I'm being seen, that I'm strong, but I'm besides terrified? - that I'm determined, but I'm also, you know, going to struggle? And it does.

LIMBONG: That's Dr. Sue Goldie and New York Times newsman John Branch. Thank you some for joining us.

BRANCH: Thank you, Andrew.

GOLDIE: Thank you, Andrew.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

Accuracy and readiness of NPR transcripts whitethorn vary. Transcript matter whitethorn beryllium revised to correct errors aliases lucifer updates to audio. Audio connected npr.org whitethorn beryllium edited aft its original broadcast aliases publication. The charismatic grounds of NPR’s programming is nan audio record.