Woman Shares What It’s Like Doing Makeup While Living with Parkinson’s (Exclusive)

Reka Janisse, an active mom of three from San Antonio, Texas, was balancing her family life with working a full-time job at Bank of America and teaching fitness classes. Then, a 2022 diagnosis changed her life forever.

Janisse, 42, went public with her Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis on Nov. 11, 2023, on Instagram, after being diagnosed in April 2022. Janisse decided to share aspects of her life living with Parkinson’s in hopes of helping other people with the disease find community — and a recent video detailing her makeup routine on TikTok has gone viral.

The video, shared on July 21, shows Janisse curling her eyelashes while singing along to Taylor Swift’s “The One,” as she works through her routine while experiencing tremors as a symptom of her condition. “POV: It’s Monday morning and I’m getting ready with Parkinson’s 💄💪 The tremors? Kicking. The stress? High,” the caption began.

She continued, “Starting the week with a full plate at work and so much I want to share with you guys. As long as I don’t rip my eyelashes out in the process… we’re good 😅.” The video now sits at nearly 400,000 views.

When asked about how her Parkinson’s diagnosis has impacted her daily routine, she tells PEOPLE exclusively, “A huge driving force for me along this journey was to completely transform my life and rule out any other health issues so I could solely focus on my Parkinson’s Disease. I quit drinking, lost 60 pounds and dedicated my life to becoming the best version of myself.”

Janisse has also continued her fitness journey. “I work out seven days a week, so I start my mornings every day at 4 a.m. I am in the gym at 5 a.m., where I focus on hybrid training to support my HYROX competitions. At 6 a.m., I get my three kids ready for school and prepare for work myself.”

While living with tremors poses a challenge, Janisse reflects on how maintaining her makeup routine has been empowering for her. “I typically struggle with my morning makeup, work clothes and jewelry, but I also know how important it is to feel and look good for my mental health,” she says.

“After my diagnosis in April 2022, I spent almost a year and a half going through all the phases of grief,” Janisse tells PEOPLE. “When I finally reached the acceptance phase I had a recurring dream to share my story publicly. At the time I had not told my employer or anyone outside of my close family and friends but I could not stop thinking about why this happened to me and — what am I going to do about it now?”

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Janisse continued, “If I could share my story and help someone receive PD treatment sooner, or feel seen — then I was willing to take that risk and expose the good, bad and ugly of my journey. I created an Instagram account and announced publicly that I have Parkinson’s Disease.”

The influencer was 39 when she received her diagnosis. “Young-onset Parkinson’s disease (YOPD) occurs in people younger than 50 years of age. Most people with idiopathic, or typical, PD develop symptoms at 50 years of age or older,” according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.

YOPD affects about 4% of the 1 million people living with Parkinson’s in the U.S. After living with Parkinson’s for seven years, Janisse has found that she is “at the point where medication does not always bring relief.”

Janisse said that her employer has been “extremely supportive” since she revealed her diagnosis to them. “My family and friends also provide support. I named my account ‘pd.family’ to build a sense of community for those who do not have support like I do, and the response has been overwhelmingly beautiful,” Janisse said.

Since beginning her social media journey, Janisse now maintains a following of nearly 30,000 across Instagram and TikTok.