Petra Clauwens from De Mortel is 41 years old and was once on stage as a musical actress. Now she is there again, but in a completely different role: as a young mother with Parkinson’s. On Sunday in Theater Markant in Uden, Petra organized the Benefiet Concert Shaken Not Stirred. She did that together with three other young people who have the same disease. “It all came out, it is completely sold out,” Petra says visibly proudly.
For Petra it started with vague complaints. At the age of 37 she wondered aloud what was going on. “I won’t have Parkinson’s, I thought then.” Two years later the diagnosis followed. For her it was a relief. “I finally had an explanation. I wasn’t crazy. But it remains intense, because you know that your life will never be the same again.”
Daily life with three young children – twins of 4 and one more of 5 – is tough. “You have less energy, you can’t always handle stimuli and multitasking is not possible. That is why I am not the mother I actually wanted to be. That hurts.”
“My body says, I’m very nervous”
Yet she cannot be stopped. Two years ago she came up with the benefit concert because she wants to create consciousness about Parkinson’s at a young age. “Everyone thinks it’s an old men’s disease. But people of my age can also get it. I want to tell that story. And of course I sing myself.”
She tells her story just before the performance. “I think if you were to ask a normal person, who would also be a bit nervous. But my body says:” I am very nervous. “We call that” Freezing “at Parkinson’s: of those shocking, small steps. I hope I have that on stage with an extra pill.”
“Kicking a ball with the children is no longer possible after five minutes.”
Also Roy van Brink (46) from Heeswijk-Dinther never considered the possibility that he could have Parkinson’s. When he received complaints at the age of 43, he thought of a tennis arm or the aftermath of a flu. The reality turned out to be different. “The physiotherapist said my entire right side had dropped out. Then it went fast: it could be a tumor, Parkinson’s or Parkinsonism MSA, the toughest variant.” Fortunately “I have” just “Parkinson’s.”
For Roy, father of four children and teacher at a primary school in Oijen, his world was turned upside down. “Kicking a ball with the children is no longer possible for more than five minutes. Checking scriptures is still possible, but writing themselves. They are small things, but together they have a huge impact.”
He also wants to share his story on stage. “It makes little sense for myself, my body is already damaged. But I want others to be saved. There must be more research. And I want to pay attention to the role of pesticides. It has been proven that these neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s can cause. It frustrates that they are still not forbidden.”
“It’s too late for me.”
On Sunday afternoon, Theater Markant in Uden was filled to the ridge. The concert is accompanied by the orchestra of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and various singers. There is music, there are stories and emotions. For Petra it feels like a dream comes true. “The idea came about two years ago. And now I am here, with an orchestra, with so many people who participate. That is so special. It is too late for me. But I want it to change for the generations after me.”