Shaking — escaping the grip of a lifelong tremor

Journalist and author Sonya Voumard on the rare neurological condition that has stalked her since a family tragedy during her childhood.

Sonya Voumard was on the precipice of teen hood when her father suddenly and unexpectedly died.

In the months following his death, Sonya developed a tremor in her right hand, not dissimilar to the shaking she sometimes noticed in her father when he was cutting the top off her boiled egg at breakfast.

The tremor got worse as she got older, but working late nights as a dogged journalist, fuelled by coffee and nicotine, it almost became a badge of honour for Sonya.

One day, though, a terrifying moment while driving set her off on a decades-long quest through Australia's medical system.

This episode of Conversations explores disability, neurological condition, brain surgery, experimental medicine, grief, untimely death, death of a father, journalism, Port Arthur massacre, Mabo, Melbourne, substance abuse, alcohol, shaking, Parkinson's, being queer, unexplained medical anomalies, neurosurgeon, neuroscience, St Vincent's hospital, writing, books, memoir, Dystonia, essential tremor, familial tremor, MS, multiple sclerosis, medical system, medicare, public versus private patients.

Tremor: a movement disorder in a disordered world is published by Finlay Lloyd.

Learn more about dystonia from the Dystonia Network of Australia.