Rebecca King-Crews reveals Parkinson's diagnosis after delayed treatment journey

Rebecca King-Crews, 60, spoke about her condition on the Today Show, marking her first public discussion of the diagnosis. Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological condition of the nervous system that can damage the brain over many years, with symptoms including involuntary shaking, slow movement, and muscle stiffness. Her symptoms began in 2012, starting with numbness in her left foot while exercising, which became a limp.

A personal trainer noticed her left arm wasn't swinging with as much momentum as her right, and she noticed her hand shaking while applying lip gloss one morning. King-Crews recognized the shaking as a tremor because her grandmother experienced them. However, she was not formally diagnosed until three years after symptoms began because her doctor initially believed she was exercising too hard, then dismissed symptoms as anxiety, and a neurologist was unsure of the cause.

To manage her Parkinson's symptoms, King-Crews recently underwent a newly approved procedure using focused ultrasound guided by MRI to deliver waves to specific brain areas thought to be involved in Parkinson's movement symptoms. The procedure was FDA-approved and is considered an adjunct therapy, meaning it does not replace the need for medication. King-Crews is still in recovery, which she has been told could take three months.

She is due to have a second procedure in September to treat symptoms on the other side of her body. King-Crews and Terry Crews have been married for 37 years, and her Today Show appearance coincided with Savannah Guthrie's return to the program for the first time since her mother's disappearance.