There’s a saying that goes, “lightning doesn't strike the same place twice,” but a woman in Mankato, Minn. says it did for her.

It first struck years ago when Sue Olson was diagnosed with breast cancer and then again in 2021 when she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Minnesota mother and gardener is one of nearly 17,000 others in our state who has Parkinson’s, a brain disorder that causes uncontrollable movements.

Minnesota has one of the highest rates of the chronic disease per capita. 

MPR News host Angela Davis speaks with Sue about her story, from feeling grief to finding gratitude every day. Angela also talks to Sue’s husband, Dr. Robert Olson, a psychiatrist at the Mankato Clinic. He started researching resilience after witnessing his wife’s emotional strength. 

Also, a neurologist who treats and researches Parkinson’s talks about the latest findings about the disease and how it affects people’s physical and mental health. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. 

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Guests: 

• Dr. Paul Tuite is a neurologist with M Health Fairview and a professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School.




• Sue Olson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2021. 




• Dr. Robert Olson is a psychiatrist at Mankato Clinic and has studied resilience since his wife, Sue, was diagnosed with breast cancer and then Parkinson’s disease.