The first time Sen. Anthony Pollina noticed his hand shake uncontrollably was during his 2008 campaign for governor. Over time, his condition worsened, his symptoms clearly noticeable to observers at the Statehouse.
By last fall, his Parkinson’s Disease had progressed to where Pollina could no longer get around his kitchen in Middlesex unless he held onto the countertops. He had significant difficulty using his left leg. Going through a doorway, he said, required steadying himself and holding on to the frames on each side. He was miserable. He could barely campaign, and after winning re-election, seriously considered giving up politics, which runs deep in his veins.
Then the longtime progressive activist, a state senator since 2010, learned of a non-invasive medical procedure to reduce the tremors. It involved shooting ultrasound waves through his skull, selectively destroying brain tissue, reducing the symptoms of the neurological disease.
However, shortly before the scheduled time, doctors told Pollina, who is 64, that his skull was too thick for the beams to get through.
That left few options: the most promising would require letting doctors drill a hole in his brain, insert an electrode and kill the tissue directly. It worked. Pollina is able to climb stairs more easily, his shake is visibly less, his face more relaxed. He said the procedure pushed his symptoms back to where they were five years ago.
His said his future prognosis is unknown. In this edition of Digger Dialogue, Sen. Pollina talked candidly about his Parkinson’s and about the procedure he underwent, which required he stay awake so doctors would not destroy his voice or his sight. He also spoke of his gratitude for the support of his wife, Deborah Wolf, their two daughters, as well as his doctor and for the care he received at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
