Visualizing the path

In late 2027, Ivan’s relentlessness finally wore me down. I was a cardiologist - not a neurologist. I knew I couldn’t help him conquer Parkinson’s. My role was to be his friend. But he persisted because he believed I could help. So, I began to study the disease.

I looked at Parkinson’s differently than the experts because I was not an expert. That allowed me to evaluate the science through a different lens. I never considered myself unbiased relative to the experts because we all have biases. My biases did not limit me to dopaminergic therapies. Instead, my experience as a cardiologist and clinical trialist taught different lessons. For example, I saw how a drug could have one effect when it was started and a different effect when continued. And I saw how a standard approach to a disease could change as data were evaluated from different points of view.

My Parkinson’s journey started at the end of 2017. I start each day recognizing the possibility that I discovered how to conquer Parkinson’s. While that could feel like a burden, for me it is quite a motivator. It’s not as though I am advocating visualization techniques where imagining my success would increase my likelihood of success. But I do visualize the path and steps needed to get closer to that goal, which would eventually demonstrate that my unusual approach works.

It’s what made me appreciate the story I read online about the US men’s hockey team. Quinn Hughes shared this story from the night before the gold medal game as he and his brother were going to sleep. Keep in mind Jack scored the winning goal in overtime to capture the gold.

“At 12:30 (am) I went over to him (Jack Hughes) and said, ‘You up?’ And he said, ‘Yeah… Dreaming about scoring the game-winner.'”

I’d like to think that this kind of visualization will work for Parkinson’s too. I don’t consider giving up. I think about Jim Valvano’s speech just prior to dying from cancer. He quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Nothing great can be accomplished without enthusiasm to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems.”

I met a person with Parkinson’s this week. He may turn out to be the next investor in Right Brain Bio. His goal is for Parkinson’s to be like hypothyroidism. There is no cure to hypothyroidism but treatment with thyroid hormone replacement enables a person to function normally and live a normal life span. I’m visualizing that outcome for RB-190 in Parkinson’s. That requires us to successfully fundraise and execute – and we are visualizing that every day.