Linda Hayman’s Support for Parkinson’s Research Gets Us Closer to a Cure

Linda Hayman is on a mission to find a cure for Parkinson’s.

For the 33 years that her husband and businessman Stephen Hayman battled the disease, the pair traveled across the world, from France to Toronto, in the hopes of trying treatments that had not yet been approved in the United States. Eventually, back at home, Stephen found a doctor he could trust in Dr. Peter LeWitt at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital.

“We had great success with everyone at that hospital,” says Linda. “I love how the doctors work together, how they’re not private practices. I like that everything is available right there, without having to travel to different clinics and practices. I love that hospital.”

After Stephen passed away in 2017, Linda decided to honor his memory by setting up a bequest to Henry Ford Health’s Parkinson’s Disease Research Fund. Linda hopes that her gift means that researchers like Dr. LeWitt can learn more about this debilitating disease—and even eventually eradicate it.

“I am hoping that Dr. LeWitt will use my gift to find the reasons behind Parkinson’s, because in our family, we have not found it to be hereditary,” says Linda. “I also hope they will discover some type of medication or therapy to cure it.”

In addition to her gift, Linda’s generosity to the system includes service on Henry Ford’s Neuroscience Council of Advisors, where she meets with scientists doing important work on Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders. This year, she also joined the Henry Ford Health’s Foundation Board to continue her activism at an even greater level.

“My mission is to be a representative of Henry Ford, explaining to people the important work it is doing, and try to help in any way I can,” she says.

Linda says she is proud of the progress Henry Ford Health is making for its patients, and she looks forward to seeing what its researchers and physicians uncover in their quest to better understand and treat Parkinson’s disease.

Her generous gift—and Stephen’s memory—leaves an enduring legacy that will benefit Parkinson’s patients long into the future.