Julián García Barragán, a 47-year-old from Spain, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite experiencing symptoms a year prior, it took time to receive a proper diagnosis, which he describes as an “emotional atomic bomb.” Facing a neurodegenerative illness at an early age, Julián had to adapt his life in profound ways, including leaving his job and confronting the social challenges that come with the disease. However, rather than letting the diagnosis define him, Julián turned to sports, self-care, and his social media platform, to not only manage his condition but to inspire others.
Julián uses his personal experiences to raise awareness about living with Parkinson’s, advocating for a society that is more inclusive and compassionate toward young people with chronic illnesses. Through his openness, humor, and commitment to a healthy lifestyle, Julián is a powerful voice in the Parkinson’s community, encouraging others to face the disease with courage and resilience.
Can you share how & when you were diagnosed, and how has the progression of the disease impacted your life?
Tengo 47 años y me diagnosticaron en 2020, justo en plena pandemia del COVID -19, aunque ya desde un año antes comencé a tener los primeros síntomas.
En mi caso tardaron un año en darme el diagnóstico. Después de dar vueltas por muchos fisioterapeutas y traumatólogos, decidí acudir a la consulta de una neuróloga. En una primera revisión no encontró nada significativo y me envió al psiquiatra. Durante un tiempo pensé que todas esas cosas que me pasaban quizás eran por el estrés, pero la rigidez y los síntomas motores iban de mal en peor. Volví a visitar a otra neuróloga y fue entonces cuando me diagnosticaron párkinson.
Siempre digo que para mí el diagnóstico fue como si me cayera encima una bomba atómica de emociones encima.
Tarde un año en asimilar que tenía una enfermedad que desconocía y que me iba a acompañar para siempre. La vida me obligó a reinventarme.
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I am 47 years old, and I was diagnosed in 2020, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, although a year before I began to have the first symptoms.
In my case, it took them a year to give me the diagnosis. After going around many physiotherapists and traumatologists, I decided to go to the consultation of a neurologist. In the first examination, she found nothing significant, and she sent me to a psychiatrist. For a while, I thought that maybe all those things that were happening to me were due to stress, but the stiffness and motor symptoms were going from bad to worse. I visited another neurologist again and that’s when I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
I always say that for me the diagnosis was like an atomic bomb of emotions fell on me.
It took me a year to assimilate that I had an illness that I didn’t know about and that was going to be with me forever. Life forced me to reinvent myself.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced after being diagnosed?
El mayor desafío desde aquel mes de mayo ha sido enfrentarme a una enfermedad neurodegenerativa, incapacitante y totalmente desconocida para mí por aquel entonces. Convivir con Parkinson es difícil y cuando además eres joven, más.
Tuve que abandonar mi trabajo porque el estrés me agravaba los síntomas. Mis relaciones de pareja al principio eran complicadas, porque siempre tenía miedo a ese momento en el que después de 2 o 3 citas tenías que hablar de la enfermedad y algunas te miraban con cara de terror.
Mi gran liberación fue cuando comencé a hablar de ello sin miedo. Creo que si explicas la enfermedad tal y como cada uno la vive, la familia y los amigos nos entienden mejor.
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The biggest challenge since that month of May has been facing a neurodegenerative disease, disabling and totally unknown to me at that time. Living with Parkinson’s is difficult and when you are also young, even more so.
I had to quit my job because the stress aggravated my symptoms. My relationships at the beginning were complicated because I was always afraid of that moment when after 2 or 3 dates you had to talk about the disease and some people would look at you with a look of terror.
My great liberation was when I started talking about it without fear. I think that if you explain the disease as each person experiences it, family and friends understand us better.
What are the most unexpected aspects of Parkinson’s disease that you encountered along your journey?
Del párkinson sólo conocía el temblor y lo relacionaba con la tercera edad.
Hoy en día soy joven y no tiemblo, así que todos los síntomas fueron inesperados para mí.
Yo tengo rigidez en mi lado izquierdo lo que me dificulta las tareas más cotidianas del día a día; atarme los cordones, abrocharme una camisa, subir una cremallera etc…
Desde hace 15 años practico deporte, sobre todo running, pero durante un tiempo tuve que dejarlo porque la rigidez me lo impedía.
Nunca dejé de hacer deporte. Durante un tiempo cambié el running por el senderismo y aquí es donde está mi verdadera medicina, el deporte.
El tratamiento farmacológico es de gran ayuda, pero sabemos que puede tener efectos secundarios a largo plazo, pero en el deporte todo son beneficios.
Así que diría que mi tratamiento perfecto es el deporte acompañado de la medicación.
Yo encontré una gran ayuda a través de mí perfil de Instagram @parkinsonianoniniano. Gracias a él, he conocido mucha gente con la enfermedad que me ha ayudado compartiendo sus vidas con párkinson y yo intento hacer lo mismo.
Es importante tener un grupo de apoyo, en el que no solo te una el párkinson, sino que también haya otros vínculos.
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I only knew about Parkinson’s tremor and related it to the elderly.
Nowadays I am young, and I don’t shake, so all the symptoms were unexpected for me.
I have stiffness in my left side which makes it difficult for me to do the most common day-to-day tasks; tie my shoelaces, button a shirt, zip up a zipper, etc.
I have been practicing sports for 15 years, especially running, but for a while I had to stop because the stiffness prevented me from doing so.
I never stopped doing sports. For a while, I changed running for hiking and this is where my true medicine is, sport.
Pharmacological treatment is of great help, but we know that it can have long-term side effects, but in sport everything is beneficial.
So, I would say that my perfect treatment is sports accompanied by medication.
I found great help through my Instagram profile @parkinsonianoniniano. Thanks to him, I have met many people with the disease who have helped me by sharing their lives with Parkinson’s and I try to do the same.
It is important to have a support group, in which not only Parkinson’s unites you, but there are also other links.
In the face of adversity, what are you most grateful for that helps you continue each day with Parkinson’s disease?
La actitud, sin lugar a duda.
Aunque huyo siempre del positivismo extremo, está claro que hay que mantener una actitud positiva, pero también tiene que haber espacio para el duelo.
Además, no es algo lineal, la enfermedad va avanzando y aparecen nuevos síntomas, bien sean por enfermedad o derivados de la medicación. Tenemos que estar reinventándonos constantemente.
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The attitude, without a doubt.
Although I always shy away from extreme positivism, it is clear that we must maintain a positive attitude, but there must also be space for mourning.
Furthermore, it is not linear, the disease progresses, and new symptoms appear, whether due to illness or derived from medication. We must constantly reinvent ourselves.
How do you manage your condition on a daily basis?
Practicando deporte entre 5 y 6 días a la semana, 2 horas diarias. Cuido mucho mi alimentación, sin pasarme, hay que darle alegrías al cuerpo de vez en cuando.
Si tuviera que dar un consejo a alguien que lo acaban de diagnosticar sería, NO PARES. Camina, corre, boxea, nada, baila. cualquier actividad física dentro de tus posibilidades.
Practicar deporte no nos va a curar, pero no practicarlo sí que probablemente hará que empeores.
Socializar con la gente y perder el miedo.
Yoga y meditación también me ayudan mucho. Aprende a escuchar tu cuerpo.
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Practicing sports between 5 and 6 days a week, 2 hours a day. I take great care of my diet, without going overboard, you must give your body joy from time to time.
If I had to give advice to someone who has just been diagnosed it would be, DON’T STOP. Walk, run, box, swim, dance… any physical activity within your possibilities.
Practicing sports is not going to cure us, but not practicing it will probably make you worse.
Socialize with people and lose fear.
Yoga and meditation also help me a lot. Learn to listen to your body.
What role does self-care play in your overall management of Parkinson’s disease?
El autocuidado es super importante. Estar en un entorno tranquilo, deporte, alimentación y eliminar el estrés lo máximo posible.
Visitar al fisioterapeuta una vez al mes es primordial también, pero este tipo de cuidados tienen un gasto que no todo el mundo se puede permitir.
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Self-care is super important. Be in a quiet environment, sport, eat, and eliminate stress as much as possible.
Visiting the physiotherapist once a month is also essential, but this type of care is an expense that not everyone can afford.
How are you monitoring your daily routines?
Hubo una temporada que no era capaz de organizar mi día a día. Me vi colgando una cartulina gigante en la pared, en la cual que me organizaba mi día a día. Me costó meses conseguir esas rutinas, pero poco a poco son las que me hacen mantener el párkinson “controlado”.
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There was a time when I was not able to organize my daily life. I saw myself hanging a giant cardboard on the wall, on which I organized my daily life. It took me months to get those routines, but little by little they are what keep my Parkinson’s “under control.”
Could you share some insights into the importance of self-advocacy in managing a chronic condition like Parkinson’s disease?
Para mí es tan importante, que estoy formando parte de un movimiento social que pretende concienciar sobre nuestra experiencia de ser jóvenes con una enfermedad neurodegenerativa incapacitante crónica e incurable que generalmente sucede a personas mayores de 65 años. La campaña #hazmelofacil tiene por objetivo darnos visibilidad y será lanzada en octubre; búscala con el hashtag y participa.
Necesitamos visibilizarnos para que nos vean y conozcan, necesitamos dar voz a las personas jóvenes con párkinson para conseguir una sociedad más amable con ellas, una sociedad más amable e inclusiva.
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For me, it is so important that I am part of a social movement that aims to raise awareness about our experience of being young people with a chronic and incurable disabling neurodegenerative disease that generally happens to people over 65 years of age. The #hazmelofacil campaign aims to give us visibility and will be launched in October; search for it with the hashtag and participate.
We need to make ourselves visible so that people can see and know us, we need to give a voice to young people with Parkinson’s to achieve a kinder society for them, a kinder and more inclusive society.
How has your perspective on life changed since being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease?
Soy una persona totalmente diferente. Ahora miro mucho por mi bienestar físico y emocional. Doy importancia a cosas que antes no valoraba tanto.
¿Una lección? Creo que cada uno debe recorrer su camino y aprender sus propias lecciones de vida.
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I am a totally different person. Now I take a lot of care of my physical and emotional well-being. I give importance to things that I didn’t value so much before.
A lesson? I believe that everyone must follow their own path and learn their own life lessons.
Have you found any particular lifestyle changes to be particularly beneficial in managing your symptoms?
No tener miedo a hablar de la enfermedad, practicar deporte , evitar el estrés y no dejar de ser tú mismo nunca.
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Do not be afraid to talk about the illness, play sports, avoid stress, and never stop being yourself.
As a content creator sharing your journey with Parkinson’s disease, how do you aim to inspire and support others in similar situations?
Para mí, mi Instagram es como un diario donde explico mi vida con párkinson.
Me gusta hacer vídeos de cómo me siento emocionalmente con la enfermedad y otras veces vídeos de humor, porque el humor es lo último que se pierde.
Sinceramente creo que todas las cuentas de Instagram que hablan sobre el párkinson son inspiradoras y desde aquí agradezco a cada una de ellas su aportación
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For me, my Instagram is like a diary where I explain my life with Parkinson’s.
I like to make videos about how I feel emotionally with the disease and other times humorous videos because humor is the last thing that is lost.
I sincerely believe that all the Instagram accounts that talk about Parkinson’s are inspiring and from here I thank each of them for their contribution.
