Margaret Tuchman was a doer, and she was the head of The Parkinson Alliance since it was founded through December 2018.
Margaret was diagnosed with Parkinson disease at age 38. This was in 1982 and while Sinemet was available, along with Amantadine, treatments were limited, as was information about the disease. This launched Margaret on a lifelong quest for information, and she read everything she could get her hands on about current and new treatments, complementary therapies, and research for a cure.
Because of her thirst for knowledge, Margaret quickly became an expert and a go-to resource for the newly-diagnosed and their families. In 2000, ever attentive to new therapies, Margaret became one of the first people in the US to have Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery, with positive results. Seeing the need for more information about DBS, dispel the myths, and to connect those with the therapy as well as those contemplating it, Margaret started DBS4PD.org, a website dedicated to DBS information. As DBS became well known, the site expanded and evolved into the Patient-Centered Research program of The Parkinson Alliance. PMD Alliance now welcomes Margaret’s legacy and this robust library of resources into our umbrella as the Margaret Tuchman Research Library.
Explore the results of surveys reflecting the experience of over 26,000 participants, synthesized and summarized to empower people with Parkinson’s to better understand the complexities of living with this disease.