For more than two decades, Kimberly Schlapman has watched Parkinson’s disease slowly change the woman she has always known as “Mom.” The Little Big Town singer, whose mother was diagnosed 21 years ago, is now speaking candidly about the emotional reality of caregiving, from balancing motherhood and a demanding career to grieving someone who is still here. In an exclusive interview with The Blast, Kimberly Schlapman opened up about the heartbreak, guilt, and resilience that come with supporting a parent through a progressive illness while partnering with AbbVie’s “Changing the Tune of Parkinson’s Disease” campaign to help families feel less alone.
Kimberly Schlapman Says Her Mother’s Parkinson’s ‘Has Taken Over’
When Schlapman’s mother was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than two decades ago, the country star admitted her family knew very little about what the diagnosis truly meant. “At the time, the only thing my whole family and I knew about Parkinson’s was the tremors,” Schlapman told The Blast, explaining that in the beginning, her mother’s symptoms were relatively mild.
For years, life remained fairly normal. But roughly eight years ago, things began to shift in a way the family couldn’t ignore. “We entered another phase of Parkinson’s where it began to affect her everyday life,” she shared, adding that now, the disease has become all-consuming for her family. “It’s what we think about all the time with her and requires constant care.”
The singer explained that watching the progression has been devastating, particularly because Parkinson’s manifests differently in every person. What began as occasional tremors eventually transformed into something that impacts nearly every aspect of her mother’s quality of life.
The Little Big Town Star Is Balancing Caregiving With Motherhood And Career
While Schlapman is known for performing on stages around the world with Little Big Town, behind the scenes, she’s juggling responsibilities familiar to so many women. As a wife, mother, artist, and daughter helping care for an aging parent, Schlapman said balance often looks more like survival.
“My family is really close,” she explained, noting that her two siblings are also heavily involved in their mother’s care. “We are all very active in her care.”
Still, maintaining that support while touring is no easy feat. “I travel a lot,” Schlapman said. “When I am home, I try to get to my mom so that I can take part in her care.” She added that she often brings her children on the road and sometimes her husband joins, too, describing the balancing act as something many working mothers understand all too well.
“Just like moms everywhere and hardworking women, we just keep the plates spinning,” she continued.
Kimberly Schlapman Wants Caregivers To Stop Suffering In Silence
One of the biggest reasons Schlapman wanted to speak publicly about Parkinson’s, she said, is because caregivers are rarely included in the broader conversation. “When we entered this phase of caregiving for my mother, I never heard anybody talk about it,” she admitted. “And that makes me sad, because it is so difficult, and it requires so much energy and emotion.”
Schlapman reflected on watching her own mother quietly care for her grandmother during a breast cancer battle without openly discussing the emotional toll. Her hope now is that her generation changes that.
“I think it’s really important that we talk to each other and we share what we’re going through,” she said, encouraging caregivers not to be afraid to lean on others during difficult moments. “It is difficult, and it’s sad, and there are so many emotions tied to it.”
She also emphasized the importance of caregivers having someone they can fully trust. “It’s incredibly important to have someone that you can really trust and tell everything to,” Schlapman shared. “Someone you can just download on… because that helps take care of you so that then you are able to take care of the person you love.”
Why Schlapman Partnered With AbbVie’s Parkinson’s Campaign
Schlapman said joining AbbVie’s “Changing the Tune of Parkinson’s Disease” campaign felt deeply personal because it encourages families to advocate for individualized care. According to the singer, Parkinson’s symptoms can vary significantly from person to person, which makes open communication with doctors essential. “No symptom is too small to mention,” she told The Blast. “Even though you think surely this has nothing to do with Parkinson’s, it very well may.”
Looking back, Schlapman admitted she wishes her family had educated themselves more about the disease earlier in her mother’s diagnosis. She also encouraged newly diagnosed families to immediately explore lifestyle changes that may help improve quality of life, including exercise and cardiovascular movement. While every Parkinson’s journey is different, Schlapman said understanding the disease sooner may help families feel more prepared for what lies ahead.
Kimberly Schlapman Says Music Has Become A Source Of Comfort, But Grief Has Been The Hardest Part
As a musician, Schlapman knows firsthand the healing power of music, and she said it has become an important tool for her family during especially difficult days. “If she’s having a bad day or something, we’ll just have her sit in her chair and listen to some sweet music to calm her down,” Schlapman said of her mother. “It calms her body down.”
Her sister, who works as a music therapist, has also helped introduce techniques to soothe their mother during hard moments. But even with support systems in place, Schlapman admitted there’s one painful reality of Parkinson’s that nobody truly prepared her for: grief. “I knew that someday I would have to live without my parents,” she said. “But grieving my mother for who she’s always been, and then for where this disease has taken her…”
For Schlapman, allowing herself space to process that heartbreak has become an important part of the caregiving journey. “I think allowing myself to grieve that has been really important,” she shared, a reminder that sometimes loss begins long before goodbye.