Joan Didion died at 87--had MS, said to have died of Parkinson's disease

[agate]

The journalist Joan Didion, who had MS, has died at the age of 87. She is described as dying of Parkinson's disease. I'm not sure if she had both Parkinson's and MS or if the news reports are wrong:

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[Virginia]

So sorry to hear that. I remember her well.

[Earth Mother 2 Angels]

((((((Hugs to All)))))) ~

According to Wikipedia, Joan Didion had MS and Parkinson's disease, so they must not be mutually exclusive.

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She lost her husband to a heart attack, while her daughter was in a coma. Her daughter survived and died from cancer.

I remember watching the Netflix documentary about her and was impressed with her honesty and courage.

Her death certificate may not indicate Parkinson's or MS as the cause of her death, but as underlying conditions contributing to the cause of her death. Most death certificates list the primary cause of death as cardiopulmonary failure. The person stopped breathing and having a heart beat. In our family, the underlying contributing conditions were cancer, or seizure disorder, or development disabilities. My mom died of a heart attack, but her underlying condition was uncontrolled diabetes. My friend died of a heart attack, and her underlying condition was ALS.

It would be more accurate to report that Joan Didion passed from complications associated with MS and Parkinson's.

May she rest peacefully with her husband and daughter after a battle well fought and won.

Love & Light,

❤️❤️❤️❤️

Rose

*Virtual Hugs Are Germ-Free!


THANKS!

[agate]

Rose, thank you for the clear and informative post. I'd been keeping a slight eye on Joan Didion for many years as I tend to keep an eye on anyone said to have MS. I never did see any news item about her additional Parkinson's diagnosis but I clearly must have missed it, or it wasn't made public. Yes, it is entirely possible to have both conditions simultaneously.

I believe we've had people here in the past who've had both, and I distinctly recall at least one person who had myasthenia gravis and MS at the same time.