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Helen's Story


Helen PletschStaying on her feet is a problem for Helen Pletsch. She loses her balance and falls once or twice a day.

“When I can get through a day without falling, that’s a real treat,” says Helen.

Helen, 67, has Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects about 100,000 Canadians. The most common symptoms are tremor, slowness and stiffness, balance problems and muscle rigidity.

The average age of onset of Parkinson’s disease is 60, but it can affect people as young as 30 or 40.

Helen was diagnosed in 1985, at 43. She says, during the first 18 years, her symptoms were little more than a nuisance; but six years ago, she started needing a walker. “My feet would glue themselves to the floor,” says Helen. “When that happens, you can’t move very far, even with slippery-soled shoes.”

Helen had deep brain stimulation surgery four years ago. It is a procedure where electrodes are implanted in the brain and connected to a pacemaker-like device that sends an electrical current into the brain. Helen says, “The implant improved the situation to the extent that I can walk now, even if I’m a bit stiff.”

A professionally-trained voice teacher who has taught singing for over forty years, Helen finds it embarrassing when people ask her to repeat herself. She says, “My voice is softer and not as crisp. The enunciation isn’t as good.”

The voice and balance problems haven’t stopped Helen from preparing her students for music competitions but it has ended her indulgence in her favourite pastime, acting. She says, “I miss that more than anything. Acting and driving have been taken from me.”

Friends are supportive, but Helen dislikes having to ask them for assistance in getting around the city. She keenly feels that loss of independence.

A long-time member of the Victoria Epilepsy and Parkinson’s Centre, Helen participates in the Centre’s programs including the monthly client education workshops.

She draws strength from her faith and a circle of friends who help take her mind off her Parkinson’s. She and her husband, Robert, enjoy holding monthly recitals for their singing and piano students.