Packers Hall of Famer Brett Favre says he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- NFL legend Brett Favre testified in front of Congress that he was "recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease," according to a report from Front Office Sports.
The report says, in his testimony in front of the House Ways and Means Committee, "Favre revealed his diagnosis when he mentioned Prevacus, the now defunct drug company that received about $2 million and counted Favre as its largest individual investor."
The hearing on welfare reform comes amid a civil lawsuit in which Favre is named in a welfare fraud scheme. A 2020 state audit found over $77 million from Mississippi's welfare program was used improperly. Favre has denied any wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.
"Sadly, I also lost an investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others," Favre said. "And I'm sure you'll understand why it's too late for me because I've recently been diagnosed with Parkinson's. This is also a cause dear to my heart."
His diagnosis disclosure now adds him to the list of one million Americans with Parkinson's. UW Health Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Michelle Ciucci said his revelation will help raise awareness about Parkinson's, the second most common neurodegenerative disease.
"I think it helps people want to talk about the fact that they have it more," she said. "Also, they might recognize some of the signs and symptoms that they're having which prompt them to get earlier intervention which then helps to them to have better outcomes."
Parkinson's impacts the body's nervous system and the part of the brain that controls everything from swallowing to moving and worsens over time.
"It is caused by a degeneration of neurons that provide a chemical called dopamine," Ciucci explained. People with Parkinson's can also have other conditions that develop as a result of having the disease like depression.
"So it's actually a disease that affects the whole body," Ciucci said.
Farve spent years taking hits as a star quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Aurora Health Care's Medical Director of Concussion and Sport Neurology Dr. Kate Essad explained that there is a suspicion in the medical community that traumatic head injuries might be linked to the development of neurological disorders.
"We don't know exactly what the brains of players go through, especially in the years where Brett Favre played, the style of play that was common back then,"
Dr. Essad said.Dr. Essad said some people with Parkinson's can live relatively normal lives after being diagnosed while others have more intense symptoms over the years as the condition progresses.