Bernat Tort: "I have Parkinson's at 41 years old and I want to discover all the towns in the country by bicycle"

BarcelonaBernat Tort, a 41-year-old teacher, was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago after a fall during a bike ride. Initially, the symptoms were masked, and doctors attributed the pain, stiffness, and tremors he suffered to the accident. He has now started a project to visit all the towns in Catalonia by bicycle to raise awareness of the neurodegenerative disease.

After three years of tests and suffering, he was finally diagnosed with Parkinson's.

— In my case, they couldn't find what was wrong with me, and despite having successfully passed several spinal tests, my movements were becoming increasingly rigid and limiting. After three years of uncertainty and suffering, a neurologist at Vall d'Hebron diagnosed me. It was liberating. It had been three years of darkness in which I didn't feel like leaving the house, I couldn't even accompany my son for a walk.

Parkinson's is a rare disease, uncommon among young people.

— It is very rare, more frequent in men than in women. Only 2% or 3% of the world's population will suffer from Parkinson's, and only 0.5% or less develop it before the age of 40.

You are the subject of a study by a research group from Vall d'Hebron.

— Exactly. I'm a young, driven, and athletic person, and they asked me if I wanted to join the hospital's Parkinson's research group. The sessions are long, over four hours, and it's hard for me to recover, but it's worth it. For example, I've found that the effects of medication are better if I take the pills on an empty stomach and without caffeine.

What do neurologists say? Will he/she be able to overcome the illness?

— Specialists tell me that considerable progress is being made in research, but it is a topic that does not concern or occupy me much at the moment. I know that research is being done and progress is being made, but it is not worth dwelling on horizons ten years from now.

How has Parkinson's changed you as a teacher and as a person?

— My high school classmates tell me that Parkinson's has made me a better person. It's true that before I was a bit of a loner, and now I notice other people's problems, I listen, I get closer, and I have more empathy.

The bicycle has also helped him mentally.

— Without a doubt. Parkinson's is a lack of dopamine. Dopamine has two essential functions: a transmitter that allows muscles to move well without tremors or stiffness, and a second function that generates well-being and stability. That's why people with Parkinson's have mobility problems, but also anxiety and depression. My body generates less dopamine than it should, but, thanks to exercise, it still generates some.

What is project 947?

— A nurse attending me at Vall d'Hebron told me I had to channel all the energy I had towards a goal. What I like most in the world is teaching social studies and cycling, so project 947 is born from the union of these two passions. I want to discover all the towns in the country by bike, and I want to demonstrate that physical activity is another tool in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases.

Will he be the first person with Parkinson's to take on a challenge of this nature?

— I don't know of any other case nor am I aware that any other person has done anything similar. I must admit that this challenge is a bit selfish, as I enjoy planning the route, carrying it out, and marking the map with corners where I might never have gone. 

And how has the illness affected your work?

— It has helped me a lot to explain it. Sooner or later I will have more physical symptoms that will be more visible, but the response from the students and the teaching staff has been magnificent, excellent. When the students see that I tremble and cannot hand out photocopies or tests, they do it.

Students are not very accustomed to seeing a great diversity among teachers.

— It is possible. In fact, I think I connect more easily with students with diversity, whether due to a learning disorder, dyslexia, diabetes, ASD, or any other circumstance. You realize that most problems are not real problems, and that the most precious treasure is health.

And has the educational administration also accompanied it?

— No, absolutely not. The department does not allow for individual progressive integration plans and specific support mechanisms for teachers. The administration only allows me to work full-time or request half-time, receiving half of the salary, and it has no coordinated system with Health. In my case, this lack of flexibility forces me to take sick leave when I am not feeling well or cannot perform my duties correctly, when perhaps throughout a school year I might need to take two or three days off, not two weeks. Unlike France or other countries in the world, it has not designed a system to introduce or facilitate the work for people with Parkinson's or other neurodegenerative diseases.

And adaptation to the workplace?

— Workplace adaptations are important, but they were not designed for people suffering from a chronic illness. You should know: I have ratios of 38 students in my tutorial group, with their needs, interests, and realities. In the last class of the term, just finishing the syllabus that was part of the selectivity exam, I collapsed and started crying. I couldn't take it anymore. I had exhausted myself mentally and physically. It cannot be that the job we love and enjoy ends up hammering us and taking its toll on teachers.

What would a teacher with Parkinson's need to do their job well?

— A more flexible system should be available, it should be possible to resolve it with more availability of teachers assigned to the center. If an educational center has a person with Parkinson's, the administration should guarantee half a reinforcement position that allows them to become a wildcard.