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Parkinson’s is not top of mind nor a ‘must solve disease’ in the public’s mind. It is misunderstood, seen as an old person’s disease and its effects dismissed as part of aging. In fact, it is far more debilitating, slowly robbing sufferers of their ability to control and co-ordinate their movements, destroying their quality of life (and often their memory and personality). It is not a disease reserved for the ‘old’.
Our brief was to change misperceptions about Parkinson’s.
We were shocked to discover that every day, three Australians under age 40 are diagnosed with Parkinson’s. Each one of those young sufferers would have to live with the disease for the rest of their lives, which for most would be decades.
Our creative solution was a brutally simple piece of emotive storytelling – an elderly father and his adult daughter sharing an emotionally charged moment together. They hold hands. One hand steadying the other. It seems the tearful daughter is comforting her sick father. But the reveal is much more shocking. It is he who is comforting her as she faces the reality of life with Parkinson’s and decades of suffering.
The film, seeded on Facebook and accompanied by a PR campaign, helped change perceptions and drive discussion about the shocking incidence of Parkinson’s in those under age 40. Donations increased, but there’s more to be done to fund sufficient research to find a cure.
