He is 58 now, and was 55 years old when the first symptoms were suddenly just there. At a large management seminar on TV 2 in Bergen, where he was going on stage. He shook his hands violently, was dizzy and had to keep his lecture seated. He took the first plane home with the feeling that something was seriously wrong.
Not long after, he knew, his wife Hanne Skartveit and the three children knew that Gerhard had contracted Parkinson’s disease. You know, the disease where you tremble, where your body can shake so much that you can not drink coffee, or send a text message without typos.
The disease that causes the nerve cells in the brain to stop making dopamine. The disease that over time makes it difficult to control the muscles.
– There is no cure. All I can do is try to slow down the development, says Gerhard.
Join us for the interview with Gerhard and his wife Hanne on Good Morning Norway on Thursday at 09.40!
Facts: Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease occurs when certain nerve cells in the brain stop making enough dopamine. Dopamine is a chemical substance the nerve cells need to send signals around the brain and to nerves into the body.
Dopamine deficiency makes it difficult to control the muscles and therefore causes changes in movement.
An early sign is tremors in one hand. Over time, the patient begins to do things more slowly, and the muscles may become stiffer. The gait is often characterized by shorter steps and it is easier to lose balance.
The cause of Parkinson’s disease is not known for sure, but the disease may be genetically determined and environmental factors may play a role.
The chances of developing the disease increase with age, but the development of the disease is individual.
The symptoms are often less problematic in the beginning and often get worse over time. It is common with a grief reaction when you get the diagnosis. Some people also have other problems such as depression, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, constipation and personality changes.
Source: Helsenorge.no
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The new everyday life
– Life does not turn out quite as we had planned, says Hanne Skartveit.
She is the political editor of VG. Gerhard’s spouse and rock in life.
Together they had just begun to think a little about life up there, where they should enjoy, read, live, talk, stroll. Do not work day and night anymore.
– IMPORTANT SUPPORTER: Hanne is Gerhard’s great love and rock in life. Photo: Private
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– The plans are still there, but it is an ever so small race with the disease. I am grateful for what I achieve in life, here and now, says Gerhard.
When the diagnosis was clear and unambiguous, the journalist couple began to “solve” the Parkinson’s riddle. Nothing less.
They read and read, sent emails, contacted experts in Norway and the USA. Found research results that gave some hope. Seek out researchers. Found Parkinson’s patients who had tried different diets, supplements, vitamins, fasting, and not least different forms of exercise.
– Parkinson’s strikes so differently for different people, that it is difficult to generalize. I am constantly looking for anything that can alleviate my symptoms.
So far, hard physical training has been what has helped me the most.
Trembling uncontrollably
Gerhard notices that he needs much more rest than before. Preferably a long night’s sleep and two dips during the day.
He who could work around the clock, dig, produce, shock, document – get viewers for TV 2’s flagship Document 2, Behind Your Back, The State of the Kingdom and Our Little Land – documentary series that probably would not have existed had it not been for Gerhard.
Now he can suddenly tremble uncontrollably in the winter cold. He’s taken a long Christmas break. He is unable to work, meet deadlines, deliver on time. Now he misses the keyboard. It is demanding enough to formulate a text message without errors. It can quickly be sent to the wrong person. He does not use his left hand to write something important.
– I can not get up to speed. Things take so long. My voice that I have lived off becomes weaker as a result of the disease. I shake more or less all the time, one arm and one leg. Day and night. It is absolutely fascinating, and quite frustrating, says Gerhard.
– MAKE THE BEST OF THE SITUATION: – I am grateful for what I achieve in life, here and now, says the journalist. Photo: Private
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Fight for a better life
The frustration he partly blows out in the boxing ring. Three times a week, a group of Parkinson’s patients meet in the Oslo Boxing Club.
– We are not exactly intimidating, Gerhard smiles.
But boxing is fun, and it has a positive effect on the stiff, increasingly slower body.
The gang calls themselves “Rock Steady Boxing”. Here come women and men who are at different stages of the disease.
– It is an exceptionally nice and inclusive group. We see each other and understand where it carries physically, and it may sound sad. But the most striking thing is the opposite of all the joy. All the laughter. Three times a week we fight for a better life, and we see it working. After two and a half hours, I am exhausted and happy, says Gerhard.
– IN TRAINING: Three times a week, Gerhard trains at Oslo Boxing Club. This is an offer for Parkinson’s patients. Here with trainer Johnny Carlsen, who leads the training with a hard hand and a warm heart. Photo: Erik Manshaus
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Hanne says that one of the best neurologists they have talked to said it outright. Exercise has a much better effect than the pills he could offer. And Hanne states that she actually gets a much fitter husband home every time he has been boxing.
Heat also helps, says Gerhard.
– The beautiful summer this year did wonders. I felt so much better.
An era is over
Gerhard wanted to return to work, to benefit as before. But with the fall and the gloomy weather, the symptoms increased in strength. He struggled heavily.
– TV 2 does everything they can for me, but I can not give anything. I’m going to lock up. That’s life now. I have lived a wonderfully rich journalistic life, and am grateful for all the opportunities I have been given. It has been deeply meaningful. Now I have to find other ways to be useful, in the small. It’s a time for everything.
– LEAVES AN IMPRESSIVE CAREER: Price-wholesaler for his investigative journalism in the TV 2 flagships Document 2, Behind your back, The state of the kingdom and Our Little Country. Photo: Private
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Hanne thinks it will go well:
– We have had hard times, but Gerhard stands in it in an admirable way. He has experienced crises before, and has always remained calm. Gerhard is rational no matter what happens. Then we who are close to him can not go down for counting either, says Hanne.
He looks like before. The warm, calm guy with the kind eyes.
Gerhard who can tell stories like few others. Who has dressed up as powerful people, who are known for their tireless investigative journalism about the Norwegian health care system, espionage, circumcision and forced marriage. He has been a US correspondent. Won the most prestigious awards. That chapter is now over.
– But hey, I’m not dead. I believe in a life after journalism.
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