“I shook frigorously at the airport”- Franklin Cudjoe opens up about how he realised he had Parkinson’s disease

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Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa

Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, has opened up about how he realised he had Parkinson’s disease.

It will be recalled that Franklin Cudjoe, some months ago, publicly announced he had been living with Parkinson’s disease for the past eight years.

The IMANI president, in a Facebook post on Thursday, January 8, 2026, recounted that he earlier told Ghanaians at the beginning of the year that he was living with a movement disorder.

He further went on to confirm that his disease is Parkinson’s.

Franklin Cudjoe, in his post, wrote, “At the beginning of this year, I did mention that I was living with a movement disorder. Well, folks, it is Parkinsons. I had been living with it for the past eight years. My doctors in Ghana, neurologists in fact, ( And we have very few of them in Ghana ) have been very supportive.

Through the generous support of very close acquaintances, I have also been seeking medical care abroad. Parkinsons has no cure, but it won’t kill you. It can only be managed with expensive medication and lifestyle adjustment ( diet and physical exercises, especially). Many thanks to all who have shown concern”.

He further added, “I am determined to raise awareness and continue to support the Parkinson’s support group in Ghana.

Once again, please avoid prolonged exposure to chemicals, and please go for a clinical assessment once you notice changes in your physical movements.  It may also be  hereditary, although research shows that it is less than 10%

Keep well”.

Speaking to TV3’s Portia Gabor in an interview for a documentary on Parkinson’s disease, Franklin Cudjoe opened up, narrating how he realised he had Parkinson’s disease.

The IMANI President recounted, “I got to know about it eight years ago, actually. Um, ’cause now that I remember, the symptoms started about two years earlier. In the… I remember I was being told that, look, my hand shakes sometimes. So what happens when it shakes a bit, and it goes away? And it followed… what followed was my elevated shoulder, the left side. Uh, I have meetings I attend, people ask me, uh, ‘What’s happening to you?’ I said, ‘Okay, I don’t know.’

Sometimes I feel like spasms, but then it wasn’t really that deep. Then came 2020. So we were just on holiday in the UK, and then we were just returning, uh, January 20th, if I remember, 2020, just on the verge of COVID and at the airport, I shook vigorously. I was shaking vigorously; I just couldn’t lift anything. And anyway, we’re coming to Ghana anyway, so I said, ‘Okay, well, listen, uh, I’ll come to Ghana and then check us out. What is this?’”

He added, “I saw my GP, uh, and he said, ‘Look, he thinks I need a special specialist to assess what was happening.’ So he recommended one doctor, Dr Chawi Felly? Interesting lady, very smart lady, and then she diagnosed me, and she said it was Parkinson’s.

She asked me, ‘So what are you gonna do?’ I said, ‘Well, we’ll live with it, right?’ Um, but I sought a second opinion said the same thing, Parkinson’s. I sought a third opinion. My friends are like, ‘Oh, just a second, third opinion.’

European doctors had a life scan of my brain; they said, ‘Yeah, it is Parkinson’s.’ But they thought it was advanced, so they were thinking of possible surgery. I said no. Then I went to an Italian neurologist in the Middle East, Dubai, an excellent man as well. He also said the same thing. So now it’s set up. I mean, that’s been the journey. It’s not been easy, but it’s been manageable.”

Meanwhile, Franklin Cudjoe has revealed he spends about about $80 to $90 every six days on medication for Parkinson’s disease.

The IMANI president disclosed that the medications for Parkinson’s disease are expensive, with costs running as high as $60 to $100 every six days, depending on the combination required.

Watch the video below: