Franceschini: ‘I’m living with Parkinson’s – it was a terrible blow’
The former Minister for Culture: ‘It’s right to describe this particular phase of my life. To tell all other people with Parkinson’s: don’t isolate yourselves, carry on living’
“I have Parkinson’s. I was diagnosed in November 2020.” Dario Franceschini, a senator for the Democratic Party and former Minister of Culture, speaks publicly for the first time about his illness in an interview with *Corriere della Sera*. “The diagnosis came as a tremendous blow. I’d had a heart attack in 2014, plus a few other minor ailments that had been successfully treated. But, well, those were just the usual bumps in the road that we all more or less expect. Parkinson’s is a different kind of illness; it stays with you for life.”
The initial reaction
Franceschini explains that his initial reaction was to try to hide his condition. ‘People with Parkinson’s tend to feel ashamed. They speak poorly, mumble, or walk unsteadily – they look as if they’re drunk. Others are shaken by an uncontrollable tremor.” But, he emphasises, “it’s vital not to lose heart, to wake up in the morning with something to achieve. To try to fight Parkinson’s, as well as taking medication, it’s crucial to fill your days and keep telling yourself: I won’t give up, I’ll carry on living, I’ll carry on being here.”
This is why he chose to go public with his diagnosis. “Speaking publicly about my illness, of course, takes a lot out of me,” says Franceschini. “However, I’ve thought long and hard about it: and, after weighing up the pros and cons, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s right to describe this particular phase of my life. To tell all other people with Parkinson’s: don’t isolate yourselves, carry on living.”
How our relationship with politics is changing
The illness, the former minister explains, has also changed his relationship with politics: ‘It wipes out personal ambitions; it makes you lose that sense of invincibility that a politician is supposed to convey, by showing that, almost by definition, they have no weaknesses, fears or vulnerabilities.’ Despite his illness, Franceschini carries on with his work: “Parkinson’s affects the body, not cognitive abilities. You slow down the pace of your work; you adapt it. But I have carried on, and I continue to do so, with phone calls, meetings and gatherings.”
