You’re So Vain singer Carly Simon has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and was recently treated for skin cancer.
“So many people have written to me, kindly wondering about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been doing. The truth is, I’ve been learning how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” the 83-year-old singer said in a statement to People.
“It has taken me some time to understand the diagnosis, to adjust to it and to decide how much I wanted to say about it publicly. Parkinson’s is different for everyone, and it can be unpredictable. Some days I’m so tired I can’t get the day moving at all. On others, it gives me a little more room to move, think, work, and feel like myself.”
Simon said she began to notice she had arthritis in both knees and one hip.
“I eventually had all three joints replaced, out with the old and in with delicate bouquets of metal and plastic. After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was simply an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process,” she added. “But my mobility continued to worsen. I had trouble standing up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm.”
The Nobody Does It Better singer said she experienced periods where she couldn’t walk without considerable help.
“My family and I knew that something more was going on. After an extensive evaluation at the Mayo Clinic, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.”
Parkinson’s is a disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects one’s motor functions. The condition causes gradual damage to parts of a person’s brain, resulting in numerous symptoms, including tremors, slow movement, and stiff and inflexible muscles.
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More than 120,000 people in Canada live with Parkinson’s, according to Parkinson Canada.
While there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s, medications can help manage symptoms and therapies such as physiotherapy, speech therapy and exercise can play a vital role in improving quality of life, according to the organization.
Simon began treatment, including taking medication to help with stiffness and other symptoms.
“There is no tidy or predictable schedule to the illness. It does not consult my calendar before deciding what kind of day I am going to have,” she continued. “Parkinson’s is usually associated with movement, tremors, and balance, but it can affect much more than the body. It can bring anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and apathy.”
Simon said that during the same period she was also treated for basal cell carcinoma on her face.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer in Canada, according to the Canadian Dermatology Association.
The organization notes that this type of skin cancer is the least dangerous, but it must be treated; otherwise, it will continue to grow.
“The cancer was removed, but the surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public,” Simon shared. “I have always been more critical of my appearance than anyone else could possibly imagine (check out the irony of having written ‘You’re So Vain.’), and this gave my inner critic quite a lot of new material.
“Between my mobility issues, the Parkinson’s diagnosis, the surgery, and the emotional effects of it all, withdrawing from public view was the most palatable reaction. If a person is allowed to hibernate during both winter and summer, then I have become an all-season bear.”
The singer said she has not “stopped living” or “stopped working.”
“In the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, ‘Comes in Waves.’ That still feels mysterious to me. Music has always known when to arrive,” she revealed. “It has rescued me more times that I can count. It is like a cat or dog that quietly appears beside you when it senses you are not quite yourself.”
Simon said her new album includes “songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years.”
“There were melodies, verses, and ideas written down and tucked away for some unknown future when I would have the time and attention to finish them. Apparently, that future is now,” her statement continued. “Working on the music gave shape to days that I did not always have much shape. It gave me somewhere to go without having to leave the room. It reminded me that illness can change your life without becoming the whole of your life.
“I do not consider Parkinson’s a gift or a blessing. It is neither. It is difficult, frustrating, and sometimes frightening. I am still learning how to live with it and how to accept it without feeling that I have surrendered something essential.”
Simon said she is still “writing, singing, imagining, laughing, worrying, remembering, and occasionally getting trapped in an overstuffed chair.”
“I am deeply grateful to my children, my family, my friends, my caregivers, and the medical professionals who have helped me through this. Their love and patience have carried me through days when my own reserves were not enough,” she added.
The Mockingbird singer said she wanted to share the news now because “so many people have reached out with genuine concern.”
“These days I move more slowly, I lean on others more than I once did, and I have learned to accept that every day will look a little different. But I am still very much here,” her statement concluded.
— with files from The Associated Press
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