The View’s Ana Navarro Says Husband’s Parkinson’s Diagnosis Was Like a ‘Gut Punch’: ‘Are Our Lives Over?’
Ana Navarro recalled the overwhelming shock she felt when her husband, Al Cárdenas, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
“It is such a gut punch,” she said during a September 21 episode of “The View: Behind the Table” podcast. “It just knocks you to your knees because you immediately start thinking about, you know, what is this going to mean? [Are] our lives over?”
She Started Noticing Changes
The 54-year-old spotted subtle changes in Cárdenas more than two years before his diagnosis.
“I had noticed symptoms in Al. I had noticed something — I didn’t know what was happening,” she said. “He’s always been very athletic, he’s always been in great shape. And all of a sudden, I saw that when he was walking, his feet seemed heavy. His gait was different. And I saw that when he was FaceTiming and holding the phone, his hand would shake.”
The longtime political commentator said she’d hoped the explanation would be something else.
“Here’s the truth — I didn’t want it to be Parkinson’s,” she said. “Because I thought it was such a devastating diagnosis.”
The Couple Does Not Want Pity
The CNN commentator said she and her husband initially chose not to make the diagnosis public.
“The first words that come out of people’s mouths is, ‘Oh, I am so sorry.’ That’s not what you want to hear when you’re a Parkinson’s patient or a loved one,” she said.
Navarro explained how she wants others to approach Cárdenas and other people living with the condition.
“Don’t define them by the illness. Don’t treat them differently,” she said. “Don’t marginalize them. Don’t exclude them from things. It’s OK to ask questions … You got to go with the flow.”
Cárdenas Is Still Living Life to the Fullest
Despite the diagnosis, the political strategist said her husband continues to work, exercise and pursue his own interests.
“He is still living a full life,” she said, noting that he is working on a book and remains active.
The experience has also changed how Navarro thinks about access to medical care.
“It’s made me that much more sensitive about this need for healthcare, for health insurance and accessible healthcare, because the difference that it makes for us, to be able to have the neurologists that we do … is why I am so passionate,” she said.
Navarro Has Learned to Take It Day by Day
The TV personality said the experience has also taught “not to cross the bridges before you have to.”
She also urged anyone who notices concerning symptoms to seek medical attention instead of allowing fear to delay an evaluation.
“Go get yourself tested. Don’t be afraid of the diagnosis,” Navarro said. “Getting the diagnosis is the start of getting treatment, and getting treatment makes all the difference.”
