Little Big Town singer opens up about mom’s battle with Parkinson’s disease

In the midst of losing her first husband and the grief that consumed her in 2005, Kimberly Schlapman had to turn her attention to her mother.

Her mother's hand had a tremor, the Little Big Town star told USA TODAY.

"And we thought, you know, she's just in the grief like the rest of us are and nervous and trying to figure out what's happening and what has happened," Schlapman said. "And so we didn't think much of it."

But the tremor didn't go away. Then, while Schlapman was in a studio in Nashville for a band rehearsal, her mother called and told her she was pretty sure she had Parkinson's disease.

"And I was like, what? What? Because no one in our family, to our knowledge, has had Parkinson's before," she said.

Her mother went to a neurologist, and her suspicions were confirmed with an official diagnosis.

"Back then when she was diagnosed, we didn't understand what her care would mean. We didn't know enough about the disease to know where we were headed," Schlapman said. "But now, I mean, it's 24-hour care."

Today, Schlapman is in the throes of sandwich generation caregiving, just like nearly 1 in 4 of American adults. Between work, caring for her 78-year-old mother − whose symptoms have worsened with age − and parenting two kids, Schlapman often feels the need to be in multiple places at once.

"I love being a mama. I also know what my mama has meant to me in my life. And so now I get an opportunity to care for her. That's incredibly important to me," she said. "I also have a job where people rely on me."

Being at doctor's appointments to advocate for her mom is crucial, Schlapman says

When her mother was first diagnosed, Schlapman said, her mother didn't want anyone to know. Her family kept it a secret for a while, because "there was a bit of shame attached." Now, Schlapman and her family want to be part of bringing Parkinson's out of the shadows. That's why Schlapman is part of AbbVie’s Changing the Tune of Parkinson's Disease campaign.

"There is no shame in this disease," she said. "And there are so many of us out there living with it that we need each other and we need to talk about it. And the more we talk about it, the better off our loved ones are going to be because their care is going to be better and people are going to understand it more."

Schlapman said her family works together to care for her mother, including hiring help. Schlapman recently moved closer to her mother to make it easier to be part of that care team.

"I just wouldn't have it any other way," she said. "We're very, very involved in her care and with her doctors, and there's one of us at every appointment she has."

While it's important for her mother to tell doctors how she's feeling at those appointments, it's equally necessary for Schlapman and her family to share the things they see that her mother might not recognize. They notice changes in her habits and health that are crucial in getting her the best care, she said.

"I want people to know they're not alone in this disease," Schlapman said. "Whether you have the disease or your loved one has it, there's so much to advocate for. And this disease is so complex that talking with a doctor and being open and honest about every single little or big symptom, every challenge, every change is so important so that your doctor can help you find a treatment plan that meets your needs as best as possible."

Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.

Reach Madeline at [email protected] and @maddiemitch_ on X.