With his striking voice and commanding stage presence, Hi Infidelity lead singer Dave Mikulskis gets the crowd singing along to 80s rock anthems. Those who don’t know the Wheaton, Illinois, musician may be surprised to learn he has Parkinson’s disease. Singing and performing give him strength against the symptoms of the progressive disorder.
Voice problems are common in people with Parkinson’s disease. The degenerative disorder affects nerves and muscles. In addition to tremor, muscle stiffness, and balance problems, patients often experience reduced volume, monotone pitch, and hoarseness.
“For Parkinson’s disease, we recommend speech therapy and vocal exercises that involve projecting and speaking with intent. Singing absolutely is helping Dave preserve his voice,” said Martha T. McGraw, MD, movement disorders specialist and co-director of the Center for Neurodegenerative Disease at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. “When you sing, you are thinking about your words and focusing on volume and voice quality.”
After a recent appointment, Mikulskis pulled out his guitar and performed an impromptu concert for Dr. McGraw and the staff at the Northwestern Medicine Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center at Central DuPage Hospital. He took requests playing a wide range of 80s rock hits and ended with a Neil Diamond song as a nod to the performer who also has Parkinson’s disease.
“People always say things happen for a reason. I feel if people with Parkinson’s can see that it’s not keeping me down then they may feel inspired,” said Mikulskis. “I don’t feel anxiety or depression over my Parkinson’s disease. It is not a death sentence.”
Mikulskis encourages those with Parkinson’s to stay positive and active. He exercises at Rock Steady boxing, works full-time as a graphic designer, and has a busy schedule with his band performing about 85 shows a year.
To treat his Parkinson’s disease, Mikulskis is on medications and underwent Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) surgery performed by Taras W. Masnyk, MD, PhD, neurological surgeon at Northwestern Medicine. DBS delivers high-frequency electrical stimulation to precise areas of the brain to block the faulty signals that cause tremors and other movement symptoms.
During the surgical procedure, an electrode is placed inside the brain, which is connected to a very small neurostimulator (electrical generator) implanted in the chest or abdomen. Electric current is then delivered from the neurostimulator through the electrode to the targeted area of brain tissue to block the faulty signals that cause the symptoms.
“In Dave’s case that has restored a lot of normal function for him. It improved his stiffness, tremor and has allowed him to continue performing,” said Dr. McGraw. “The DBS, medications and his commitment to exercise and singing have given him a new lease on life.”
Mikulskis’ story is both inspirational and incredibly sweet. Before Mikulskis and his wife Melanie started dating, he told her he had Parkinson’s disease. He says it didn’t faze her a bit; right then he knew she was the one for him. To honor his biggest supporter, he wrote a song for her titled “All I Needed Was You,” which includes the line “when you said that we’d handle what’s wrong with my head; we’d rise up above it instead; right then I knew I had finally found it.”
“It is a privilege to be a part of Dave’s care. Watching his journey through Parkinson’s has been inspiring,” said Dr. McGraw. “One of our goals is to help him continue to perform. How he engages with his audience is exciting to watch.”
