Meet Hugo, Karen, Alma, Helene, Anne-Marie, Poul, Lone, and Eskild, who go to Parkinson’s dance class together. They are characters in this graphic novel, which is based on many stories about Parkinson’s. The stories come from participants in Parkinson’s dance who have talked about how dance involves bodily, aesthetic experiences, including the feeling of bubbles in their bodies and flying together. Dancing brings joy, energy, and community, and thereby strengthens the will to live, all important when a chronic illness turns your world upside down.
This book, a co-produced research-based graphic novel, is designed for use in the fields of arts and health, medical humanities, graphic medicine, and narrative medicine. It is also written for people with Parkinson’s, or other chronic diseases, and their families. The book invites dialogue about the existential dimensions of chronic illness, especially Parkinson’s, and long-term caregiving.