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20 December 2022
Joy’s Journey
Margaret Joy Rowlands, known to everyone as Joy, was an unassuming person, and very busy. Mother of four and grandmother to nine, she loved helping people and often put others before herself. She was involved in the community across church and netball committees, and as an office holder for some 20 years.
Joy also supported her husband Glen through the life of farming and later jointly managed a family rural supplies business. Joy retired in 2011 aged 60 to devote her time to her grandchildren and community activities. Joy and Glen enjoyed travel with numerous trips throughout Australia, England, into Europe and across Canada.
It was on a trip to Canada in 2019 that Joy commented on the deterioration of her handwriting, which she put it down to ageing. When her concerns persisted, she sought medical advice and was referred to a cardiac specialist for a racing heartbeat. She was later referred to a neurologist to address her concerns about her shaking and increasing anxiety.
“Looking back, she had become anxious on the return flights from Canada, particularly when landing,” says Glen Rowlands. “She would hold my hand so tight and think of crashing. She was certainly not her normal self.”
“The first visit to neurologist Associate Professor Robert Wilcox was daunting,” says Glen. “The professor could not categorically confirm Parkinson’s, but the medication brought Joy to a lot closer to her old norm.”
Joy experienced significant weight loss and after visiting gastrologists and dietitians was put on a diet of good high protein foods plus lots of chocolatey things. “Our grandchildren were quite envious of Joy’s diet.” She was also experiencing constipation but eventually got back to her more normal weight.
In mid-2021 the couple were able to take the caravan to visit their son and his family in North Queensland. Joy insisted on sharing the driving. “I allowed this on good open roads and with my close guidance, she did a good job.”
Joy visited Professor Wilcox in August and again in mid-November and he was disturbed at her decline, immediately changing her medication. Over the Christmas period, Glen corresponded with the professor via email to further adjust Joy’s medication.
On 10 January 2022, Joy started the day in negative frame of mind, but Glen was able to improve her spirits and they spent the day pottering in the garden she loved so much. After preparing a meal together they sat down to watch the cricket on television, but Joy was very unsettled. After the cricket Glen prepared her medication as usual but Joy complained of a lump in her throat, so he sat her in a lounge chair. Within a minute, she was pale and not breathing.
Glen called an ambulance and attempted CPR, against Joy’s wishes as expressed in her Advanced Care Directive, but she could not be revived. “My belief is that she had died within the first minute of sitting in the chair,” says Glen.
In memory of Joy, her family have supported new research into earlier and more accurate detection of Parkinson’s disease with a generous donation. If you would also like to make a tax deductible donation to support this research, please contact the lead researcher Associate Professor Gabrielle Todd.
