Parkinson’s diagnosis
Reno is diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years into her term, after realizing something might be wrong with her left hand.
I noticed a tremor in my early-morning walks around the Capitol. At first it was just a faint twitch, but it got progressively worse, and so I went to the doctor. He asked me some questions, examined me, and told me that I had Parkinson’s and that I’d be fine for 20 years…I went to the bookstore and got as many books as I could find. I read, and then after talking with my family and friends, I told my doctor that I wanted to make a full statement about it and have him available to answer questions….I made sure that I told the President [Bill Clinton] and everyone else that they should be honest with me if they thought I wasn’t able to serve. He was very supportive. Then I just moved ahead. I made a decision to continue doing my job.