Marie-Madeleine, 99 years old: moving forward despite Parkinson’s

A life shaped by war, generosity and a sense of welcome

Marie-Madeleine’s story is rooted in a difficult historical context, the Second World War.
During her adolescence, she was forced to leave her hometown of Vervins in Picardy (France), devastated by the war, to seek refuge first in Mayenne, then once again in the Deux-Sèvres region. Christian recalls, “At fourteen, she experienced the exodus, bombings, blocked roads. This distressing journey was not without atrocities.”
Even after the family returned to Picardy in 1941, finding their home looted, the years that followed remained marked by fear and uncertainty. Stress and bombings continued until the end of the war.

(Many studies now confirm that post-traumatic stress, particularly experiences linked to war, can contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease.)

Conversely, these difficult years also forged in Marie-Madeleine a form of resilience that still helps her face the illness with courage today.
Despite these challenges, she learned to find joy in life. “I remember my mother as a lively woman: sewing, knitting, cooking, volunteering with the Red Cross,” Christian says.
“She had a generous heart and even though our means were limited, our friends could join us at the table at any time, expected or not. There was always a place, always a warm welcome.”
He adds, “She worked with music on and she loved to dance. A simple way of living joyfully.”

The first signs and the beginning of the illness

The initial symptoms appeared through a hesitant and slower walk, with on and off periods. Anxiety followed, and Marie-Madeleine began calling her son at work, “something she never used to do,” Christian explains.
At that point, she grew increasingly afraid of losing the ability to crochet, knit and write. “She never had tremors, but she felt her hands becoming less precise,” Christian recalls.
Her handwriting became very small and difficult to read. At times, slight speech difficulties appeared.

She was formally diagnosed in 2012, and antiparkinsonian treatment began in early 2013. They organized things as best as possible, with a speech therapist and a physiotherapist visiting each week.
Upon retiring in 2014, Christian made a decisive choice: “to make myself fully available for my mother.”
Around her, he built an environment shaped by gentleness, attention and constant vigilance.

Discovering AtremoPlus in 2017

In January 2017, a fractured femur disrupted everything. This was followed by two and a half months of hospitalization, and Christian visited every day from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. “There was physical therapy for walking, but it was not convincing,” he recalls. “So I searched for products that support dopamine production, and that is how I discovered AtremoPlus.”
Christian tells us, “I gave AtremoPlus to my mother when she returned home from the hospital, and after a few days she stood up much straighter and walked properly with a walker. She was 91 years old.”

Joy and hope then reappeared in their daily life with AtremoPlus, and even healthcare professionals noticed a real and rapid change.
“The physiotherapist, who had already been coming before, was surprised to see the progress my mother had made in two weeks. You could clearly see how reassured my mother felt at that moment. She took a full dose on the days the physiotherapist came. More precisely, she mixed the powder one hour and thirty minutes before the visit.”

For Christian, it was a moment of relief. He found his mother more stable, more at ease and a little closer to who she had once been.
These improvements brought a breath of calm to a fragile situation.

Another area where AtremoPlus proved helpful

Two months later, a dopa-sensitive dystonia appeared, marked by severe leg pain.
At night, Christian had to wake up every three hours to give her a synthetic L-Dopa medication. “It was a very difficult period,” he remembers.
“I could barely stand during the day. This continued until my mother was able to receive an injection and a medication containing L-Dopa and Carbidopa in the evening, which improved her nights. I had to wake up a bit less,” he says with relief.

During the day, however, the dystonia persisted. It often returned around 3 p.m.
Christian tried a simple approach, giving a dose of AtremoPlus about thirty minutes before the usual time of the pain. To his surprise, it worked.

Today, Christian and his mother have found a rhythm with two doses per day. They do not go beyond this due to budget constraints, although Christian notes that “the price of AtremoPlus has not increased since 2017, which is a good thing.”
During our conversation, Christian shared that AtremoPlus allowed them to reduce the amount of synthetic L-Dopa by 50 percent, something they never thought possible.

A profoundly human duo

This portrait reveals a mother and son bonded with great tenderness. A woman shaped by history, yet rooted in life and full of generosity. A son who, year after year, watches over her, searches for solutions, adapts and supports.
This portrait pays tribute to lives that intertwine and sustain one another.

Christian is also a very kind person, someone we often speak to on the phone when he places his orders. It is always a pleasure, because through our conversations emerges a man of great gentleness, driven by a deeply caring love for his mother and for the people around him.
Their journey reminds us that beyond medical realities, there is always a human story.