Legislator reveals Parkinson’s diagnosis

04/16/2006

Vandeveer says disease affects his gait but not his work at Capitol

BY MARY DIVINE
Pioneer Press

Minnesota Rep. Ray Vandeveer first noticed he was walking differently a few years ago.

Vandeveer, a Forest Lake Republican, assumed the stiffness was caused by a severe case of heel pain — which developed during weeks of pavement-pounding and door-knocking on the campaign trail.

He sought help when he didn’t get better and, after a string of medical visits, was diagnosed last year with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder caused by the death or damage of brain cells that regulate muscular coordination.

The lawmaker is making his diagnosis public after deciding to seek a sixth term in the Legislature. He also has his eye on the District 52 Senate seat now held by Republican Michele Bachmann of Stillwater, who is trying to win the GOP endorsement to run for Congress; if she does, Vandeveer will make a run for her seat — a possibility that also prompted his disclosure.

“I just felt, especially if I look at the Senate race, that people should know what the situation is,” he said. “People might wonder why I’m kind of dragging my leg or not walking real smooth.”

By discussing his diagnosis with constituents, he said, “They would know and not have to wonder.”

Parkinson’s primary symptoms include tremors, slow movement, poor balance and difficulty walking. Vandeveer said he has an early and mild form of the disease and is taking low doses of three medications that so far have caused no side effects.

His doctors at the University of Minnesota have told him that he has a “pretty slow-moving” form of the disease. They also told him it should not affect his ability to serve in the Legislature. Parkinson’s does not affect mental abilities, and nor, typically, do the drugs taken to treat it.

“It hasn’t impacted my ability to do the job,” he said. “If it did, I wouldn’t run again. And, if it gets to the point where it does, then I certainly would make that decision.

“As of today, though, it appears to me to be very manageable, and, hopefully, going forward they’ll make additional advances.”

STANCE ON RESEARCH

Advocates say research with human embryonic stem cells holds promise for people with Parkinson’s and other diseases. Vandeveer says his opposition to such research has not been changed by his diagnosis.

Vandeveer opposes research that would study new cell lines and cause more human embryos to be destroyed. He does not oppose research on cell lines taken from embryos before August 2001, when President Bush limited federal research funding to projects that use existing cell lines.

It’s a distinction Vandeveer would have the Legislature draw for the University of Minnesota. Over the past two weeks, he has twice offered measures that would have required the university to repay some state funding — including for a proposed football stadium — if its researchers undertook work leading to the destruction of embryos. Both attempts failed.

“I think that there are a lot of options with stem-cell research, but the embryonic is not a good choice,” Vandeveer said.

RECORD IS WHAT’S RELEVANT

Vandeveer said he does not expect his condition to come up in his fall campaign.

“I’m not worried about it,” he said. “People will run on the issues, and I have a record” as a lawmaker.

If someone wants to make his illness an issue, Vandeveer said, “that’s up to them. I just don’t sense that it’s one that people are going to be swayed by too much.”

Rob Rapheal, the Democrat who is running for Vandeveer’s House seat, doesn’t see the lawmaker’s illness as relevant to the race.

“Parkinson’s is a serious disease, and I wish him the best,” Rapheal said. “This campaign needs to be about schools, transportation and health care.”

Age is one of the main risk factors for Parkinson’s disease. Although the disease can affect adults in their 20s, it ordinarily starts later in life, with the risk increasing with age, Mayo Clinic researchers say. Vandeveer is 52.

Several politicians and celebrities have the disease, including former Attorney General Jane Reno, evangelist Billy Graham, film star Michael J. Fox and boxing champion Muhammad Ali.

“Some are young and some are old, and there are people who have had it for years and still are very productive and contribute a lot,” Vandeveer said.

Said Bachmann: “If anyone can handle the physical effects of Parkinson’s as well as his professional duties, it’s Ray. I have tremendous respect for him as a colleague and even more so as a friend. He’s exhibited courage in the face of Parkinson’s, and I think it’s important for people to know that he is fully capable of fulfilling his duties in the Legislature and he does so with grace and courage.”

Vandeveer said he has been struck by the kindness and care shown by colleagues and constituents as word of his diagnosis spreads. “The biggest thing you don’t want is to have secrets,” he said. “People are very understanding as long as you’re straight with them.”

Vandeveer, who owns Associate Appraisers in St. Anthony and is a real-estate broker, said battling the disease has energized him.

“In a way, it’s a good thing,” he said. “It makes you realize that life is short. It just emphasizes that we’re only here for a short while, but we tend to forget that. We think that we have forever.”