American musician Carly Simon has spoken about her health after years out of the spotlight.
The 83-year-old You’re So Vain singer released a statement to fans, confirming that she has Parkinson’s disease and was previously diagnosed with a form of cancer.
“Many people have written to me, kindly inquiring about my relative silence, asking how I am and what I have been up to. The truth is that I have learned how to live with Parkinson’s disease,” she began in her personal message.
“It took me a while to understand the diagnosis, adjust to it and decide how much I wanted to say publicly about it. Parkinson’s disease is different for everyone and can be unpredictable.
“Some days I’m so tired I can’t move at all during the day. For others, it gives me a little more space to move, think, work and feel like myself.’
Simon remembered The people how she first noticed the symptoms of Parkinson’s – a disorder of the nervous system that affects movement and worsens over time – when she underwent surgery.
“The problems started with arthritis in both knees and one hip. I ended up having all three joints replaced, the old ones and inside with delicate metal and plastic bouquets.
“After three replacement surgeries, I assumed my difficulty walking was just an unfortunate and rather ironic part of the recovery process.
But my mobility continued to deteriorate. I had a hard time getting up from low chairs and deep couches without someone offering me an arm. Overstuffed furniture became my enemy.
“As soon as I sat down, I could feel as if I had been swallowed by the chair and could have remained there forever, like a guest who had badly overstayed her welcome.”
Simon said she eventually encountered periods where she could not walk at all without ‘significant assistance’.
Her family also realized something was wrong. After an ‘extensive evaluation’ at the Mayo Clinic, she was diagnosed.
While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, she began treatment to manage her symptoms soon after. Symptoms usually include tremors, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement.
At the same time, however, she learned she had basal cell carcinoma of the face. BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for approximately 70% of all skin cancers.
While she was able to remove the cancer, the procedure had a devastating impact.
“The surgery affected my appearance and made me more self-conscious about being seen in public.”
Simon also survived breast cancer in 1997. She underwent a double mastectomy (surgical removal of both breasts), reconstructive surgery and chemotherapy.
“I’ve always been more critical of my appearance than anyone could imagine,” she confessed, name-checking You’re So Vain’s “ironic” lyrics and explaining that her health struggles only “gave her inner critic new material.”
Signs of Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s is a progressive condition, but it affects each person in different ways.
As explained by Parkinson’s in the UKthe symptoms you experience, the order in which they appear and how they progress will be personal to you. Symptoms can even change by the hour.
The most common symptoms of Parkinson’s are:
- tremors
- stiffness (muscle stiffness)
- slowness of movement
There may also be non-motor symptoms, which include:
- anxiety and depression
- sleep problems and insomnia
- easy memory loss and thinking problems
- pain
Ultimately, this led to her withdrawal from public life.
“If a person is allowed to fall in winter and summer, then I have become a bear of all seasons.”
However, she has vowed to carry on, expressing her “deep” gratitude to her children, family and friends, plus medical professionals, for their support on days when “(her) reserves were not enough”.
Simon, who lives on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard, is mother to daughter Sally, 52, and son Ben, 49, with her first husband and fellow musician James Taylor, 78.
She also decided to speak out about her health issues because of the number of people contacting her with ‘genuine concern’, which she is ‘touched’ about.
Additionally, she has been in the recording studio, with new music on the way.
I haven’t stopped living and I haven’t stopped working.
Entitled Comes in Waves and set for release on August 14, it marks her first record release in almost 20 years, her last being in 2008.
“The album includes songs and snippets of songs that have been waiting for me, some for years. There were melodies, verses and ideas written and stuck for an unknown future, when I would have the time and attention to finish them,” she said.
“Apparently, that future is now.”
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