"I have these tremors"

Former mayor Häupl: “I suffer from Parkinson’s disease”

Michael Häupl: "I'm not afraid. I have developed a certain resilience."

(Bild: picturedesk.com/Trend Wolfgang Wolak / Verlagsgruppe News / picturedesk.com)

It's a shock diagnosis that automatically makes you think of Alois Mock or Michael J. Fox. Now Vienna's former mayor Michael Häupl has also had to hear it from doctors.

"I'm fine," says the former head of the city (SPÖ) in an interview with the "Krone" newspaper. "I can eat, I can write, I just have these tremors." His wife, who is a doctor, noticed it at home. His hands no longer wanted to hold still like they used to. Her advice: "See a neurologist!"

And the 75-year-old had himself examined. But Häupl wouldn't be Häupl if he didn't take a stroke of fate with humor: "The doctor said to me: "I have one piece of bad news and two pieces of good news. The bad news: you have Parkinson's! The first good news: you won't die from it. The second good news: you won't become stupid."

"It's a shock at first"
But the now 75-year-old admits: "It's a shock at first. Of course I know that it can't be cured." He continues: "I also know what the end result will be. You saw that with Mock. He was in a wheelchair"

Michael Häupl wants to continue performing his functions.

(Bild: Florian Wieser/APA)

Mild course 
But Häupl does not want to think about such images, because his progression is "fortunately mild". He can also currently do without medication. His current therapy: sport! Or as he puts it: "Relatively, yes relatively disciplined sport."

My quality of life is not so impaired that I can no longer drink a white splash.

Michael Häupl

Therapy started
Twice a week, one hour on the ergometer, once a week physiotherapy. And exercises with the hard-shell ball, which loosens up the muscles. Häupl smiles: "The ball trembles. So it's not me shaking with the ball, but the ball shaking with my hand." As far as his future prognosis is concerned, the former head of the city is relaxed: "I'm not afraid. I've already developed a certain resilience. The cancer diagnosis was much worse."

Already beaten cancer
Things only got really serious in terms of health in 2020. In an interview with Krone, Häupl said at the time: "I had an early form of kidney cancer and an operation that went extremely well, but then problems arose afterwards. For example with an abscess and sepsis. There is only a one percent chance of all this happening, but I was shouting 'here' everywhere. It was an extreme challenge for the doctors, including my wife, and also for me. Twelve weeks in hospital is intense."

Wants to continue working
Following his Parkinson's diagnosis, Häupl will retain all his functions, such as that of President of Volkshilfe Wien. And Häupl won't have to give up his trademark white spritz either: "My quality of life isn't so impaired that I can't drink any more."