An interview with Alexander Judge, Shaky, But Unshakeable
Biography
My name is Alex Judge. I am a 34-year-old elementary school music teacher who is currently based out of the Monadnock Region of southern New Hampshire. In addition to my work, I am also passionate about running, the Boston Celtics, playing the saxophone, reading, and going to see new places with my beautiful girlfriend, Irma.
Please tell me a little about your background.
Back in June of 2024 (at the age of 33), I went to see a neurologist to address a concerning tremor that was developing and becoming noticeable on my right side. However, after my neurologist noticed that in addition to the tremor, my right arm was not swinging fully when I walked, the tone of the appointment quickly shifted from, “so you have some tremors that are pretty annoying?”, to “now I know that you are young, but I am not yet ready to rule out that you may have Parkinson’s, so I would like for you to come in for a DaT scan that will allow us to see how much dopamine is in your brain”. I could not believe it. My exact thought was “there is no way that I can have Parkinson’s. Just yesterday, I was carded trying to buy beer. I am too young”. My disbelief, however, turned into reality at 8:47 AM on a Thursday in November, when I received an automated text message from my doctor’s office, informing me that there were test results waiting for me on my online portal. The words “abnormal dopamine transporter scan with findings consistent with a Parkinsonian syndrome absolutely crushed me and I only had 13 minutes to process this news before my 9:00 fifth and sixth grade music class arrived at my classroom door.
Can you tell me more about your Advocacy?
My advocacy journey began on the day that I received that news, when I decided to apply to run the 2025 Chicago Marathon as a charity runner for Team Fox (Michael J. Fox Foundation). I was accepted exactly one month later, and sharing that was running the race was how I announced to my family and friends for the first time that I had been diagnosed with YOPD. This November, I will be running the New York City Marathon for Team Fox with hopes of beating my time from Chicago! I am proud to say that in less than two years I have raised over 10,000 dollars (and counting) toward Parkinson’s research!
What is your passion and how did you get involved in Parkinson’s awareness and hope for a cure?
As an advocate, I hope to raise awareness that Parkinson’s is not strictly an “old person’s” disease and that there is a population of people living with it in my age bracket. I also hope that through my accomplishments, mindset, and attitude, people will come to realize that living a remarkable and fulfilling life of bad ass-ery while living with PD.
What type of goals do individuals with Parkinson’s have when seeing your Advocacy?
While I am admittedly new to my advocacy journey, it is my hope that someday I can serve as a hero and source of inspiration and hope for a young person who is scared shitless after receiving this news. The same way that people like Michael J. Fox and Jimmy Choi were to me!
What would you like to see as a future goal for your Advocacy?
I find that when you are an active and otherwise healthy man in his early 30’s who has tremors, there is a huge stigma and sense of shame and embarrassment when out in everyday society. In fact, I have shared with many people that the first (and up to this point, only) time where I have not felt the need to physically mask or hide my tremors was at the Team Fox luncheon, held held on the day before the Chicago Marathon — it was truly the BEST feeling. That said, I would like our society to reach a point to where others and I feel comfortable going out through society without hiding this symptom.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
E-mail: judgealex97@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alex.judge.961?
Instagram: judge_alex815
Team Fox NYC Fundraising Page: https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/7045492
What are your Pet Peeves?
I would like to share that one of my biggest “pet peeves” is that there is such a negative connotation to the word “shake”. For thousands of years, this has been used as a term associated with physical, mental, or spiritual weakness. In fact, according to Google AI, some form of the word “shake” has been written in the Bible 70-80 times in reference to weakness!
I have a problem with this, because I am someone who gets my shaky self out of bed every morning and knows people are noticing, but I do not let that stop me from living my life to the fullest and carrying out feats that most people (“shaky” or “non-shaky”) would not be able to do. And I am sorry, but I think that because of this, my shaking and the shaking of so many others who are living with and fighting this disease makes us incredibly strong, and not at all weak.
In your opinion, what is the key to effective advocacy?
Communication, vulnerability, optimism, and a touch of good-natured sense of humor!
What other activities do you undertake to help improve and support your daily living Eg exercise and alternative remedies?
Since my diagnosis, I have run over 2,000 miles (including, one full marathon, four half marathons, and the Mount Washington road race). I am working toward eating more cleanly and have cut back on my alcohol intake over the past year and a half. Also, before I go running, I always drink an 8 ounce can of tonic water, as the quinine helps in making the dystonia that I get in my right toes more manageable!
Why should people who don’t have Parkinson’s care about this?
There are so many reasons why, however, as somebody who did not disclose my diagnosis with my co-workers for quite sometime, I know better than most that somebody at work that you may see every single day could be fighting this battle and you might have no idea.
Have you had any family members or relatives affected by Parkinson’s disease?
Yes — my maternal grandfather had Parkinson’s disease and lived his later years with it — leading a life of grace and dignity. His life and legacy weighed heavily on my mind when I crossed the finish line of the Chicago Marathon exactly 7 days before what would have been his 94th birthday!
If you had one song that would tell us more about you or represent your life, which song would it be?
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. Beethoven composed and premiered this masterpiece shortly after losing his entire ability to hear to prove to others (and most importantly, himself) that despite facing incredible adversity, he could still do amazing things.
If you had one final statement or quote you could leave for the Parkinson’s community, what would it be?
A life-changing diagnosis calls for a life-changing mindset. This starts by thinking not about what you cannot do, but instead about what you can do, and you can do A LOT!
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TogetherForSharon® In memory of my mother, Sharon to voice awareness & hope for a Parkinson’s Disease cure. Sharon’s Son, George
Support https://www.togetherforsharon.com/shop/
Would you like to share your journey! Reach out and together our Voices are so much STRONGER!