Meet Sabine Löwenthal, the artist giving Parkinson's a two centimetre voice

Sabine Löwenthal, founder of the international creative platform PDArt.ch, uses miniature photography and art to show that life after a diagnosis remains rich with imagination. Read Sabine’s full story, written in her own words, below. Not Parkinson takes centre stage. People do. I was born in 1967 in what was then East Germany. From an early age, I learned that life rarely follows a straight path. In 1988, I left my homeland and started a new life in Bremen, Germany. Since 1990, Switzerland has been my home. My career has been anything but conventional. After working in hospitality, I became an inline skating instructor. One of the defining moments of my life was a charity journey in which I skated more than 1,000 miles (1,730 km) from Tønder in Denmark to Zurich in just 16 days. That experience taught me that seemingly impossible goals become achievable when you are willing to take the first step. Later, I worked as a stage magician before turning my greatest passion, photography, into my profession. I became particularly fascinated by miniature photography in a scale of 1:87. Using tiny figures, I began creating visual stories that make people smile while inviting them to reflect. In 2017, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Naturally, the diagnosis changed my life. But it did not take away my creativity. If anything, it strengthened it. Over time, Parkinson became a tiny character called Mr Parki. Mr Parki is a 3D-printed miniature figure in a scale of 1:87, standing just 2 centimetres tall. Every figure of Mr. Parki starts as an unpainted model. Using fine brushes and acrylic paints, I carefully give him his clothes, his hat, his briefcase and, above all, his personality. Each one of his different figures is painted entirely by hand (I bought many characters, but Mr Parki and some figures are made by myself.) By giving Parkinson a face, I took away some of its power over me. Mr Parki became my companion, my inspiration and the storyteller in many miniature photographic scenes that capture everyday life with Parkinson's through humour, honesty and hope. His adventures often reflect situations that people living with Parkinson's instantly recognise, while helping others understand the condition in a gentle and approachable way. Although he is only two centimetres tall, Mr Parki has become the face of PDArt.ch and a symbol of resilience, creativity and hope. For the past several years, I have spent part of my life living aboard a 50-foot sailing catamaran. Sailing has taught me that we cannot change the wind, but we can learn how to adjust our sails. That is exactly how I see life with Parkinson. Some days the sea is calm, while on others the waves are high. What matters is not the headwind itself, but how we choose to navigate through it. What began as a place to share my own photography gradually evolved into something much bigger. Along the way, I discovered how many people living with Parkinson's express themselves through art. They paint, write, photograph, compose music and create remarkable work, yet their stories are rarely told. That realisation inspired me to found PDArt.ch in 2025. PDArt.ch is not a medical information platform. Many excellent organisations already provide medical expertise, education and support. Instead, PDArt offers something different: a creative stage where people living with Parkinson's are recognised not for their diagnosis, but for their talents, imagination and individuality. Every story, interview and artist profile is published free of charge. Through portraits, articles and photography, PDArt.ch celebrates both the artwork and the person behind it. At the same time, the platform raises public awareness of the positive impact creativity can have on life with Parkinson's. Today, PDArt.ch is gradually building partnerships with organisations, healthcare professionals and international initiatives. Artists from different countries are joining the growing community. What started as one personal idea is slowly becoming an international platform that connects people, inspires hope and demonstrates that creativity knows no borders. My vision is to continue expanding PDArt.ch internationally and give even more creative people living with Parkinson's a voice. Behind every diagnosis is a person with talents, experiences, dreams and a story worth telling. PDArt.ch does not tell stories about Parkinson's. It tells stories about people living with Parkinson's. If you are living with Parkinson's and have a creative passion, Sabine would love to hear from you about joining her collective: https://pdart.ch Do you have a story of your own that you would like to share with the community? Please get in touch with beatrice@pdbuddy.app