Carmen G. is a young woman and a mother, but also a highly skilled professional nurse who has always worked with dedication and passion.
With enthusiasm and deep sensitivity, she founded the association Pepita – Platform for Early-Onset Parkinson’s Patients and Friends. The association is dedicated to people with young-onset Parkinson’s and operates in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.
We get to know Carmen through this interview.
When I think of you, Carmen, I feel life and a strong desire to live. You responded to your Parkinson’s diagnosis with a pregnancy… would you like to tell us about that?
I had never really considered it seriously before, not until that moment.
When you receive a diagnosis like that, your thoughts spin uncontrollably. Doubts and uncertainty take over and seem like they will stay forever.
On the day I was diagnosed, I wasn’t able to think beyond that moment. But later at home, when I managed to calm down and organize my thoughts to begin facing my new reality, I started to think that maybe I had lost the opportunity to become a mother.
So I brought it up during my next appointment with the neurologist… I told him I would have liked to become a mother. My neurologist didn’t see any issue and explained that if that was my wish, I was actually at the ideal moment since I had not yet started medication. If I managed to become pregnant, we could begin treatment after giving birth.
Two months later, I missed my period — Marta was on her way.
Even though I had just been diagnosed, the pregnancy felt long and difficult because the symptoms were becoming more noticeable, and I imagine the physical stress also affected my overall condition. Despite everything, I gave birth naturally and was even able to breastfeed for three months before starting medication.
Those were complicated months, and I was really looking forward to starting treatment because I didn’t feel well. It’s quite frustrating to be a first-time mother and take care of a newborn while living with Parkinson’s. But with patience, everything becomes possible.
Around the world, the concept of young-onset Parkinson’s is gradually changing the perception of what was once considered a disease mainly affecting older people. The association you founded, Pepita, is specifically aimed at young people with Parkinson’s. How did it come about?
The association emerged from a project I started developing when I became familiar with the local Parkinson’s association in Gran Canaria.
At that time, I was collaborating with them on managing some urgent documentation. As I got to know the organization from the inside for the first time, I realized that the services offered did not meet my needs at all.
I began to think that maybe, instead of a physiotherapist, I needed a personal trainer… instead of an occupational therapist, perhaps I needed career guidance… in short, the needs and problems addressed by the association were not mine.
I also observed the reactions of other younger members and realized that the environment they encountered there was not beneficial for them.
Until then, I had seen the association from a managerial and nursing perspective, but experiencing it from the point of view of the illness is completely different.
I thought it would be possible to include a specific section within the structure that could address issues like mine — to respond to the needs I had identified and that I believed were shared by others in a similar situation.
That is how the idea of creating a project focused on people diagnosed at a young age was born.
In the end, the project developed independently, as it differed significantly in both objectives and scope (patients from both provinces had already contacted me) from the existing Parkinson’s association.
And that is how PEPITA was born.
President of the Pepita Association
And then, one day in August 2019, we met! So many dreams, projects, and a heartfelt alliance!
Parkinson’s has given me good things — very good things — and has brought wonderful people into my life. That is undeniable.
When I discovered your existence, my heart skipped a beat. It felt like an incredible project, and I couldn’t believe it was here — so close! In Fuerteventura!
I remember it was a Sunday night, and I was checking the official Association Registry website to see if PEPITA had been registered. I checked it every day and always got the same result — only the Parkinson’s Association of Gran Canaria appeared.
That night, I noticed more text than usual… a Parkinson’s association in Fuerteventura?
I had to read it several times because I couldn’t believe it.
I searched online and there it was — with a website and everything!
There was a contact phone number, and I didn’t hesitate — I called immediately.
Álvaro must have been surprised: a talkative girl with Parkinson’s calling him on a Sunday night… When I finally let him speak, he explained that he was the association’s biologist and that the next day he would pass my contact details on to the founders of Parkinson No Limits.
The following day, I received a message from Francesca. There was an instant connection on both sides. We were happy to have found each other. Synergies, plans, and dreams quickly emerged… a whole universe of possibilities opened up before us, united by our shared mission to support people living with Parkinson’s.
Life is not always easy — it depends on us how we choose to face it. What positive impact has Parkinson’s had on your life? When you look in the mirror, what compliments do you give yourself?
It’s true, life is hard — it’s not easy — but we must learn from the lessons it gives us. Even when they hurt, there is always something positive to take from them.
These situations teach you to seize every opportunity, to enjoy each moment, and not to waste your energy.
You become a more sensitive, supportive, and empathetic version of yourself.
You have no other choice — the only option is to be strong and keep moving forward. Humility, awareness of your new limitations, and the ability to redefine your goals become your tools to build a full and meaningful life.
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