For three decades, Willie Geist has witnessed his father, Bill Geist, navigate life with Parkinson’s disease. Now 80, Bill, a veteran award-winning TV journalist, battled the illness privately for years before revealing his diagnosis to his children and eventually the public.
In 2012, Bill disclosed on CBS Sunday Morning that he had been diagnosed with the neurological disease. “I’ve had it for years, told no one, not even my kids. Didn’t want them to worry. Didn’t want to be seen as ‘the sick guy,'” he told viewers. Willie shared with TODAY that this public revelation “was a big deal for him.”
Opening up allowed Bill to help others facing similar struggles. “That was my most proud day,” Willie said in 2012. “That was not easy for him because I know what he’s gone through over the years … Very proud of him, but more proud that he’s gonna now help people.” 
Bill was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1992 at age 47, while Willie was still in high school. Since then, Willie has become an active advocate, raising awareness and funds for research alongside his father. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and participates in the American Academy of Neurology’s Brain & Life community. Willie even runs marathons in his dad’s honor, raising hundreds of thousands for the cause. 
Reflecting on his father’s influence, Willie said, “He’s taught me a curiosity, to wonder about the world and to want to know more. It’s always an adventure with my dad, and I think that’s a good metaphor for life.”
Bill continued his journalism career for 25 years after his diagnosis, retiring in 2018. In 2019, he released his memoir, Lake of the Ozarks, a project that made Willie and his family extremely proud. “It’s so funny, nostalgic, touching,” Willie told TODAY. “He’s had Parkinson’s disease for almost 30 years, and so he’s been on TV doing his job. Even the act of sitting down to write this book wasn’t as easy as it would’ve been 10 or 20 years ago, so that’s why I’m doubly proud … You live with the disease and you keep going with your life.” 
Through advocacy, personal example, and shared family bonds, Willie Geist and Bill Geist continue to inspire hope, resilience, and the importance of turning personal struggle into a force for good.
Source: https://www.aol.com/willie-geist-recalls-most-proud-210000582.html
