Terry and Rebecca Crews Reveal Decade-Long Medical Battle

Terry Crews and his wife, Rebecca, have been married for 36 years.

The couple met back at Western Michigan University in the '80s, before Terry began the NFL career that would lead him to film and television. While their relationship has undoubtedly changed over the years, the couple just shared the private struggle they've been managing for 11 years.

In an interview with People, they revealed that Rebecca was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease back in 2015. While there is no cure for the degenerative disorder, there is a cutting-edge new treatment that has brought the Crews family hope and relief.

"The only reason I’m going public is because I finally have some uplifting information to offer," said Rebecca.

She is one of the less than 100 patients to get access to focused ultrasound, an innovative non-invasive treatment that has shown major promise in treating Parkinson's.

The idea to pursue the treatment actually came from Terry. “I’d been reading about this and researching it for ten years,” he says. "I told her, ‘Honey, I really think this will help you.’"

The FDA's approval of focused ultrasound as a treatment for Parkinson's came just as Rebecca was feeling her worst.

“I hadn’t slept in three days [due to the disease],” Rebecca shared with People. "And I felt like I wanted to die.”

Eight months later, Rebecca is happily reporting improved symptoms. "I'm able to write my name and my dates, and I'm able to write with my hand for the first time in probably three years," she shared on The Today Show, alongside Terry.

Over one million Americans live with Parkinson's, a disease that can cause uncontrollable tremors, stiffness, slowing of movement, balance issues and depression.

While Rebecca's symptoms began in 2011, it would take four years before she received her diagnosis. "I told the doctor, 'I don’t receive this,'" Rebecca says, reflecting on the moment she got the news. "I was determined to fight it."

With the support of her family, Rebecca has done just that. "Terry is my rock," she says. "And I thank God that he has the means to take care of me, allowing me to go to doctors and get the procedures I need."

Dr. Vivek Buch, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, where Rebecca received her focused ultrasound treatment, applauded her for sharing her story with the world. He said, "I think she did it for others as much as she did it for herself. Not for publicity, but to be part of moving the field forward so others can also benefit from this new therapy."