James Reynolds to bring Parkinson’s story to Days of Our Lives

James Reynolds, the longtime Days of Our Lives actor who plays Abe Carver, said his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis will be incorporated into the character’s storyline. Reynolds has said he was diagnosed several years ago and kept the news private before discussing it publicly.

Reynolds said he initially tried to hide symptoms while working on the soap, including tremors and balance problems. As they became harder to conceal, he and the show’s writers agreed to reflect his experience in Abe’s story. He said the writers wanted to include the condition because it had become apparent.

The storyline was reported as beginning Wednesday, November 11. In the plot, Abe has experienced hand tremors and undergone medical testing. The reports describe the character’s experience as reflecting Reynolds’ own, though the precise details of how the story will develop have not been laid out.

Reynolds said he later recognized that frightening dreams and sleep disturbances might have been early symptoms. He said he may have experienced them 15 to 20 years earlier, before understanding that they could have a physical component. He also described sometimes falling out of bed during those episodes.