At the age of 29, Guillaume Brachet loses his “infinity”: he is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Guillaume is in the middle of life, full of energy, with a young family and many dreams.
The diagnosis of Parkinson’s has been confirmed. “Coming out” to his friends and family is difficult. His mother wants to take a vacation trip with him “while he still can.” But Guillaume is far from giving up. In his book, he takes us on his journey full of initiative and entrepreneurial spirit.
Why did Guillaume develop Parkinson’s disease? Why already at 29, rather than at 58, like most patients? These are difficult questions. Parkinson’s has so many causes that it is impossible to identify a single “correct” one, and Guillaume realizes that, as a patient, this ultimately does not matter, because it does not change the reality of having the disease.
The typical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease only become apparent once a large proportion of neurons has already died. In Guillaume’s case, his daughter asks him in the morning whether he is angry with her: like many patients, Guillaume can no longer control his facial expressions. This loss of facial expression is an important symptom of Parkinson’s disease, which inevitably leads to a certain degree of isolation, because those around us often misinterpret it unfairly as a lack of intelligence.
A scientific conference pulls Guillaume out of his lethargy. He no longer wants to see himself as a victim and wants to actively fight against Parkinson’s disease; if necessary, with a drug he develops himself.
Guillaume dives into the scientific literature and identifies a promising drug candidate. However, turning it into an approved medication requires a great deal of money and time. To launch the development process, Guillaume organizes a sporting event: he rows upstream along the Loire River. With the funds raised, he is able to carry out initial experiments and feels he is on the right track—the drug concept could work.
Guillaume Brachet, the pharmacist, becomes a young entrepreneur and builds a startup team. He knows that a potential cure for his disease will only become reality through solid scientific methods, and therefore he names the company CXS Therapeutics: curatio ex scientia—healing through science. Guillaume develops a drug at full speed, while he still can.
“Parkinson at 30” is a book that gets under your skin. We experience Guillaume Brachet’s hope and tears, and can only hope that his dream will come true—that he will succeed in developing a cure for Parkinson’s disease, and perhaps even use it to heal himself.
The book “Parkinson à 30 ans” is available in French from the publisher Leduc: www.editionsleduc.com . www.editionsleduc.com.
Parkinson à 30 ans – La course contre la montre d’un jeune pharmacien pour trouver un traitement révolutionnaire – Guillaume Brachet (EAN13 : 9791028532505) | Editions Leduc.s : online printed and digital books
