Annmarie O'Connor: You're never going to live a charmed life...because then you'll never learn
What A Woman PodcastShow Notes
Annmarie O' Connor is an award winning stylist, a fashion editor and a columnist for the Irish Examiner. She is also a bestselling author of books including The Happy Closet and The Happy Medium and she has her own self-styled brand of 'wardrobe wellness' to promote a more mindful relationship with fashion. Annmarie has been featured in the Irish Examiner as one of 100 Women in Ireland Blazing a Trail and was also named one of Ireland’s 100 Most Inspiring Women in Image magazine. Annmarie is also a Parkinson’s advocate having been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinsons in 2021 when she was in her forties. Parkinsons disease is an incurable neurodegenerative condition affecting movement, coordination and speech and although it's usually a condition associated with older people, around one in twenty of those diagnosed will be under the age of fifty.
Annemarie first noticed a pain in her shoulder which developed into a fine shake in her right hand and she suspected a trapped nerve but by the time she was diagnosed with Parkinsons, Annemarie was finding it challenging to write or put on mascara. As a condition more commonly associated with older men and their familiar stoop and shake, the diagnosis was a huge shock to Annmarie being a young and seemingly healthy woman but from the outset, she has had taken the attitude that while the condition is part of her life, she does not want it to dominate her life.
By opening up about her condition and raising awareness, Annmarie hopes to show this is not a diagnosis anyone should feel they have to hide or experience alone and she would encourage anyone concerned about symptoms to seek medical advice because it is a lot to carry on your own and she says you will be surprised how those around you will step up and want to help.
We talk about:
- The stigma around Parkinson's Disease
- Coping with symptoms and medication
- Why it's not a condition to hide or experience alone
- The mutual benefit of accepting and receiving help
- The importance of perspective
For Further Information:
Parkinson's Association of Ireland: www.parkinsons.ie
Early Onset Parkinson's Disease in Ireland: eopd.ie.
Follow Annmarie:
Website: https://annmarieoconnor.me Instagram/Twitter: @aocdotme
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