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Personal Stories of Patients

Following a Dream

See Lucy Roucis on 9News

A spunky, adventurous actress and model taking Los Angeles by storm, Lucy Roucis was cut to the quick when she was diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson’s disease in 1987. Slowly it became harder and harder to do ordinary activities and she thought her career was over. A friend told her, “Turn this Parkinson’s around and make it work for you. Use it.” Never forgetting this, she moved back to Denver where she discovered PHAMALY, an acting troupe comprised of people with all kinds of disabilities. In this venue, her Parkinson’s is actually an asset and she starred in several shows.

Soon, Hollywood came calling. A role for a stand-up comedienne with real Parkinson’s (as opposed to the movie kind!) in a major motion picture was up for grabs and she got the part, shaking alongside Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal in Love and Other Drugs. Lucy also teaches acting and does motivational speaking. In 2008 she received deep brain stimulation (DBS), to ease her symptoms and she is enjoying her new found freedom.