An interview with Tine Van Bogaert & Alexandra Boogers: Starry Skies, Cosmic Shakes on August 28, 2024.
Biography
Alexandra Boogers graduated as a neurologist at the University of Antwerp, Belgium. She obtained her PhD on the topic of deep brain stimulation at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Currently, she is a clinical and post-doctoral fellow at Toronto Western Hospital in Canada.
Tine Van Bogaert is a human health engineer and currently working as a neuroscientist and PhD candidate at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. Her research topic is the effect of deep brain stimulation on brain waves of brain structures. Currently she is on a research stay at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York as part of her PhD.
We met during our time in Leuven where we both did research to improve the efficacy of deep brain stimulation (DBS) for different movement disorders. Together we wrote the book ‘Starry skies, cosmic shakes’.
Can you tell me more about your book?
Starry skies, cosmic shakes is a children’s book we wrote about Parkinson’s disease and deep brain stimulation. We hope to bring families together who are affected by Parkinson’s disease through an astronaut’s journey and to facilitate open conversations to empower them to navigate the challenges of the disease.
Alexandra: The idea came after the partner of a deceased patient thanked our team and mentioned that she and her sons would like to do something to help us. This touched me because I realized that children are often not included in consultations and are still affected by the illness of their parent or grandparent.
We sell a hard-copy version of our book on our website, but we also want everyone to be able to read the book, regardless of their location or financial means. That’s why we also offer a free PDF version on our website. If people want to, people can make a donation to help cover the cost of the paper versions. Our dream is that every parent or grandparent affected by Parkinson’s disease will be able to read the book with their children or grandchildren.
We are also a charity, so any profit will flow back to the Parkinson’s community to support projects that specifically aim to improve the quality of life of families affected by Parkinson’s disease and raise awareness.
What would you like to see as a future goal for your book?
Currently, our book is only available in English. We would love to be able to translate the book in other languages, starting with our mother tongue Dutch and then French. This way we could reach even more affected families.
What events do you participate in?
We both attend conferences to keep up to date on the latest research on Parkinson’s Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation and to promote our book.
How can someone get in touch? What is your website?
Social Media
Instagram: @cosmicshakes
X: @cosmicshakes
Linkedin: Cosmic Shakes
Facebook: Cosmic Shakes