This evening my wife and I settle down in front of the telly to watch (on YouTube) the second part of the BBC documentary about GDNF, called “The Parkinson’s Drug Trial: A Miracle Cure?“. I haven’t had time to preview it before watching it with my wife this week, because I have been preparing my weekly vlog today, so I’m unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster this time.
It’s very hard to watch. It’s impossible to watch the participants without feeling every thrill (and, conversely, every disappointment) that they encountered – both my wife and I developed leaky eyes several times. The trial didn’t reach its target of the GDNF treatment being over 20% more effective than the placebo, and the shock of this was evident on everybody’s faces – participants and clinicians alike. The hardest part for me, though, was that Tom Isaacs, who went through so much in pursuit of his dream (and who, somehow, managed to remain so positive throughout) should die soon after the trial ended.
Tom was an inspiration to all of us, and the Parkinson’s community is so much poorer without him. Life is cruel sometimes.