Today marks the start of Brain Awareness Week, dedicated to highlighting the benefits of brain research and raising awareness of neurological conditions. John Murphy describes his experience of essential tremor, a condition that causes involuntary shaking
John Murphy, who underwent surgery for an essential tremor, pictured at home. Photo: Gerry Mooney
John Murphy, who underwent surgery for an essential tremor, pictured at home. Photo: Gerry Mooney
Gemma Fullam
Today at 03:30
In 1986, John Murphy, a sales executive, was shuffling some sheets of paper in advance of a work meeting when he noticed a slight tremor in his left hand. He made a mental note but otherwise, he says, “I just ignored it”.
In the years following, the tremor “got progressively worse”, but Murphy, who was in his 30s when it first manifested, soldiered on. He was right-handed, so “it was manageable,” he says. “When I was in work, I hid it. You hide it from everybody.”