Parkinson Puzzle: Erardi honored as doctors seek cure
Updated: May 29
This article first appeared as the cover story in the May edition of Today Magazine, our monthly publication
By Bruce William Deckert — Today Magazine • Editor-in-Chief
Chances are you know someone who has Parkinson’s disease — a family member or friend, a colleague or acquaintance. Parkinson’s is one of the most common neurological diseases worldwide, according to the National Institutes of Health aka NIH. Neurology is the branch of medicine concerned with the nervous system.
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An estimated 12,000 Connecticut residents have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, according to the state chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association aka APDA.
Connecticut’s population is about 3.6 million, per the 2020 census, so less than 1% of state citizens are afflicted with Parkinson’s — 0.3% to be more precise.
The APDA estimates that 10 million people worldwide and 1.2 million people nationwide have Parkinson’s — also about 0.3% of the U.S. population of 331 million. A caveat regarding the national numbers: About 1 million Americans have the disease per the APDA website, but a state APDA representative tells Today Magazine that the nationwide estimate has changed to 1.2 million cases.
By the way, April is Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month.
Despite the small percentages, for many individuals and families a Parkinson’s diagnosis looms large due to the significance of a condition that worsens over time — further, there is no known cure.
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PARKINSON’S ROLE MODEL
The APDA’s Connecticut chapter is honoring longtime Avon resident Rocco “Roc” Erardi in memoriam at the Northern CT Optimism Walk on the first Saturday in May at the Farmington Polo Club. The Optimism Walk is a family-friendly fundraising event supporting APDA services and programs.
After battling Parkinson’s for 16-plus years, Erardi died in July 2022 at 75 years of age. He was born in Hartford and grew up mainly in Manchester after his family moved from East Hartford. He graduated from Manchester High School in 1965.
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The Erardi family — Lauren, Mary Lou, Rocco aka “Roc” and Scott — traveled in 2018 to Sedona, Arizona — about 115 miles north of Phoenix
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Erardi served as vice president of the Avon Soccer Club and coached club teams for nearly two decades before becoming an assistant coach for Connecticut’s Olympic Development Program. The Connecticut Junior Soccer Association honored him with the organization’s Sportsmanship Award.
A UConn graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English, Erardi was a sporting-goods buyer for G. Fox & Co. and later became a licensed property and casualty agent with The Hartford insurance company.
He retired from The Hartford in 2006, the same year he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s — for more about his life and legacy, see the sidebar article by his daughter Lauren Erardi.
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DISEASE DEFINITIONS
The disease is named after James Parkinson, who identified and described a shaking palsy condition in 1817, according to the NIH. The term Parkinson’s disease was coined by William Rutherford Sanders of Edinburgh in 1865 and later became a commonplace description through the influence of Jean-Martin Charcot and his school that was based at a Paris hospital.
While Parkinson’s disease can be managed effectively, it is a far more life-altering diagnosis practically and psychologically than, say, a diagnosis of an essential tremor. A hand tremor is a common symptom of both conditions, but the Parkinson’s package includes a number of other unwelcome manifestations.
Except for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s is the most common neurodegenerative condition affecting Americans, according to Dr. Bernardo Rodrigues, division chief for the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Program at Farmington-based UConn Health.
“Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disease that can lead to disability and can affect activities of daily living, which makes it a shocking diagnosis,” Rodrigues says.
“PD affects primarily the motor function — tremors, stiffness, slowed movements and balance changes — so most of the adjustments revolve around optimizing physical condition and safety.”
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• ABOVE — Rocco Erardi coached the Avon Chargers to the U10 State Cup championship in 1988 — his daughter Lauren (#6) was a defender, usually at sweeper — next to Erardi is assistant coach Gary Corliss, who died in 2015 at 72 years old
• BELOW — Lauren and her dad display their gold medals after he coached the West Region U13 Girls to victory at the Nutmeg State Games in 1991 — Lauren later played varsity soccer at Avon High — she served as captain her senior year
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The NIH defines Parkinson’s as a chronic and progressive neurological disease marked by muscle tremors, rigidity, slowness of movement, impaired balance and a shuffling gait. Further, many PD patients experience behavioral changes and cognitive impairment.
Since people worldwide are living longer, “PD represents a significant and increasing threat to public health,” per the NIH, and the annual cost of treatment in the United States has been estimated at $14.4 billion.
Parkinson’s impacts the part of the brain that produces dopamine, a neurochemical connected with controlling movement, says Dr. Joy Antonelle de Marcaida of Hartford HealthCare.
“The pathology of Parkinson’s disease is complex, and we now know that this can predate the diagnosis of PD by decades,” says De Marcaida, medical director for the David & Rhoda Chase Family Movement Disorders Center. “Loss of brain cells ... results in a dopamine deficiency and manifests with these cardinal motor symptoms: slowness of movement, rest tremor, rigidity of the muscles and balance impairment.”
Naturally, treatment for Parkinson’s focuses on this vital neurochemical, notes Dr. Nirav Sanghani of Saint Francis Hospital.
“Most of the current treatments are directed toward supplementing dopamine, or enhancing the effect of whatever dopamine is present in the brain,” says Sanghani, a staff physician in the Department of Neurology.
“The acceptance of a newly diagnosed Parkinson’s disease and its effect on quality of life depend upon the severity of symptoms,” he says, adding that “many people find no significant change in quality of life, especially with the recent advances in physical therapy combined with medications.”
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HOPE FOR HEALING
These advances provide a measure of hope for those diagnosed with the condition. Current research indicates that Parkinson’s patients can take action to change the trajectory of the disorder, says De Marcaida. She highlights that simple wellness habits — such as exercising, eating healthy, sleeping well and maintaining social connections — can restrain the progression of Parkinson’s.
“This means that, in many ways, the power over Parkinson’s disease is in your hands,” she says, adding that “research in the field is robust.”
She further notes that over 30 medications and procedural options can effectively treat symptoms.
“The current treatments available ... offer remarkable improvement of symptoms,” says Rodrigues, “and can allow patients to continue to be fully independent for years. ... With proper care, dedication to regular physical activity, exercising and fall prevention, patients can live a long, happy and healthy life.”
He underscores that “this is a very serious condition, but slowly progressive and with extremely effective symptomatic treatments, which includes medications and surgical interventions.”
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CURE QUESTION
Famous figures who have received a Parkinson’s diagnosis include Alan Alda, Muhammad Ali, Neil Diamond, Billy Graham, Jesse Jackson, Pope John Paul II and Linda Ronstadt.
Perhaps the most recognizable Hollywood celebrity with Parkinson’s is Michael J. Fox, who has lived with the condition for more than three decades. He was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991 when he was only 29 years old.
In 2000 he established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, the world’s largest nonprofit funder for Parkinson’s drug development, according to the foundation’s website — raising over $1.75 billion to date.
The organization is clear about its goal: “The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda,” per the website. “Recent Parkinson’s progress has propelled us into a new age of research where a cure is within reach.”
However, this optimistic and hopeful outlook disagrees with the NIH perspective on the remedy question: “Parkinson’s disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder with no cure in sight” — so says the NIH’s National Library of Medicine website.
What about local medical experts here in Greater Hartford — what is their take on a cure for Parkinson’s?
“Finding a cure has proven to be quite challenging,” says Hartford HealthCare’s De Marcaida. “However, each year of research brings us a deeper understanding of its pathophysiology, and closer and closer to finding a cure.”
Saint Francis’ Sanghani points to the neurochemical component.
“Theoretically, the disease can be cured if we can find a way to insert stem cells in the brain which can produce the required dopamine,” he says. “There have been ongoing trials for stem cell therapy in Parkinson’s disease — however, it will take some time for this to become the standard for treatment.”
UConn Health’s Rodrigues offers an answer that is both philosophical and practical.
“It is always difficult to try to predict the future,” he says. “However, the speed of technological advancements has been picking up and we have strong reasons to be optimistic. We have had several new scientific discoveries that open new leads for potential cures for Parkinson’s disease.”
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PUZZLING PREDICAMENT
Perhaps Parkinson’s disease can be compared to a puzzle — indeed, synonyms for puzzle include the following: challenge, conundrum, enigma, mystery, problem, question and riddle.
Life has a way of presenting such puzzles to human beings. Sometimes the puzzle pieces fit together with patience over time, yet sometimes a prolonged puzzling period impacts hope — such as the hope for a cure to a troubling disease.
Sometimes an explosion blows hopes and dreams to smithereens — into the proverbial million pieces — presenting a monumental predicament for the best puzzle-solver.
Based on the best evidence, it appears these puzzles have a divine origin, and at turns they impact and agitate and inspire humans across the spectrum of life and history.
Further, some would say the best philosophers, theologians, scientists, doctors and poets agree that life’s most challenging puzzle has a singular divine-and-human solution. For those suffering from Parkinson’s disease and those afflicted by all other maladies that beset the human race, one can always hope. +
• Today editor-in-chief Bruce Deckert is an award-winning journalist who believes we all merit awards when we leverage our God-given gifts for good
• Today Magazine covers community news that matters nationwide, focusing on the heart of Connecticut’s Farmington Valley — the five core towns of Avon, Canton, Farmington, Granby and Simsbury
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