{"id":18120,"date":"2026-06-11T21:14:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T18:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/imgist.ru\/kimberli-shlapman-delitsya-dusherazdirayushhej-pravdoj-o-borbe-svoej-materi-s-boleznyu-parkinsona\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:05:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T09:05:38","slug":"kimberly-schlapman-shares-the-heartbreaking-truth-about-her-mothers-battle-with-parkinsons-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/kimberli-shlapman-delitsya-dusherazdirayushhej-pravdoj-o-borbe-svoej-materi-s-boleznyu-parkinsona\/","title":{"rendered":"Kimberly Schlapman shares the heartbreaking truth about her mother's battle with Parkinson's disease."},"content":{"rendered":"

More than two decades Kimberly Schlapman<\/strong> Watching Parkinson's disease slowly change the woman she always knew as "Mom." The Little Big Town singer, whose mother became ill 21 years ago, now opens up about the emotional reality of caring for someone who is still alive, from juggling motherhood and a demanding career to grieving for someone who is still alive. In an exclusive interview with The Blast, Kimberly Schlapman discusses the pain, guilt, and resilience that come with supporting a parent through the progressive disease, as well as her collaboration with AbbVie's "Changing the Tune of Parkinson's Disease" campaign to help families feel less alone.<\/p>\n

Kimberly Schlapman says her mother's Parkinson's disease "completely took over.". <\/p>\n

Xavier Collin\/Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Shlapman's mother was first diagnosed with Parkinson's disease over twenty years ago, the country star admitted that her family knew very little about what the diagnosis actually meant. "At the time, all we knew as a family was Parkinson's," Shlapman told The Blast, explaining that her mother's symptoms were initially relatively mild.<\/p>\n

For many years, life went on relatively normally. But about eight years ago, everything began to change in ways the family couldn't ignore. "We entered a new phase of Parkinson's disease, where it began to affect her daily life," she shared, adding that the disease had now consumed her entire family. "We think about her constantly, and she requires constant care.".<\/p>\n

The singer explained that watching the disease progress was terrifying, especially because Parkinson's disease manifests differently in each person. What began as occasional tremors eventually developed into a condition that affects nearly every aspect of her mother's life.<\/p>\n

The Little Big Town star juggles childcare, motherhood, and a career.<\/h2>\n
Ozzie B\/imageSPACE \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Shlapman is known for her worldwide stage performances with the band Little Big Town, behind the scenes she must juggle responsibilities familiar to many women. As a wife, mother, artist, and daughter helping care for an elderly parent, Shlapman says balancing often feels more like survival.<\/p>\n

\u00ab"My family is very close," she explained, noting that her two siblings are also actively involved in caring for their mother. "We're all very involved in her care.".<\/p>\n

Maintaining this support while touring, however, is no easy task. "I travel a lot," Shlapman said. "When I'm home, I try to visit my mom to be a part of her caregiving." She added that she often takes her children with her on trips, and sometimes her husband joins her, describing the need to balance work and personal life as something many working mothers can relate to.<\/p>\n

\u00ab"Like all moms and hard-working women, we're just trying to get things done," she continued.<\/p>\n

Kimberly Schlapman urges caregivers to stop suffering in silence.<\/h2>\n
MBS\/MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to Shlapman, one of the main reasons she wanted to speak publicly about Parkinson's disease is that caregivers are rarely included in the broader discussion about it. "When we entered this phase of caring for my mother, I had never heard anyone talk about it," she admitted. "And that saddens me because it's so difficult, and it requires so much energy and emotion.".<\/p>\n

Shlapman recalled watching her own mother quietly care for her grandmother during her battle with breast cancer, never openly discussing the emotional toll. Now she hopes her generation will change that.<\/p>\n

\u00ab"I think it's really important that we connect with each other and share what we're going through," she said, urging caregivers not to be afraid to lean on others for support during difficult times. "It's difficult, it's sad, and there are so many emotions involved.".<\/p>\n

She also emphasized the importance of caregivers having someone they can completely trust. "It's incredibly important to have someone you can truly trust and confide in," Shlapman shared. "Someone you can just confide in... because it helps you take care of yourself so you can take care of the person you love.".<\/p>\n

Why Schlapman Partnered with AbbVie's Parkinson's Campaign<\/h2>\n

A post shared by Kimberly Schlapman (@ohgussie)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Shlapman said that participating in AbbVie's "Changing the Mindset of Parkinson's" campaign was deeply personal for her, as it encourages families to advocate for individualized treatment approaches. She noted that Parkinson's symptoms can vary significantly from person to person, making open communication with doctors crucial. "No symptom is too minor to ignore," she told The Blast. "Even if you think it's definitely not related to Parkinson's, it very well could be.".<\/p>\n

Looking back, Shlapman admitted she regrets that her family didn't learn more about the disease sooner, after her mother's diagnosis. She also urged families recently diagnosed to immediately consider lifestyle changes that can help improve quality of life, including exercise and cardiovascular training. While every person's journey with Parkinson's is unique, Shlapman said that understanding the disease earlier can help families feel better prepared for what lies ahead.<\/p>\n

Kimberly Schlapman says music has been a source of comfort for her, but grief has been the hardest thing she's had to endure.<\/h2>\n
Xavier Collin\/Image Press Agency \/ MEGA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a musician, Shlapman knows firsthand the healing power of music, and she says it's become an important tool for her family during particularly difficult times. "If she's having a bad day or something, we just sit her in a chair and listen to nice music to calm her down," Shlapman said of her mother. "It calms her body.".<\/p>\n

Her sister, a music therapist, also helped implement techniques to comfort her mother during difficult times. But even with her support system in place, Shlapman acknowledged that there's one painful reality of Parkinson's that no one truly prepared her for: grief. "I knew I'd have to live without my parents one day," she said. "But grieving for my mother, for who she always was, and for where this disease has taken her\u2026"\u00ab<\/p>\n

For Shlapman, allowing herself time to process this emotional pain became an essential part of the caregiving process. "I think allowing myself to grieve was really important," she shared, reminding that sometimes loss begins long before the farewell.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For over two decades, Kimberly Schlapman has watched Parkinson's disease slowly change the woman she always knew as "Mom." The Little Big Town singer, whose\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-selebriti","hvn-theme-has-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18120"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142425,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18120\/revisions\/142425"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/imgist.ru\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}