Courtesy of Billy Joel Foundation
What do retired Lake Highlands real estate agent Peggy Hill and Grammy-winning, stadium-filling rock star Billy Joel have in common?
Peggy was diagnosed with dementia by Dallas doctors, and she has been living under a guardianship arrangement supervised by the court which requires her to spend half the year in a memory care unit at Dallas’ Presbyterian Village North (PVN) and the other half with family members in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her doctors in Colorado recently gave her great hope when they determined she has normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). They performed brain surgery on Sept. 4 to insert fluid-draining shunts in hopes of alleviating her symptoms.
This is where Billy Joel comes in.
The Piano Man was diagnosed with NPH in 2025 after he noticed his balance was off and he began falling during a concert. NPH causes excess cerebrospinal fluid to build up in the brain ventricles.
After undergoing a shunt procedure, Joel’s memory, balance and ability to function improved over time.
“I don’t want to lose my marbles,” he explained September 9 on his SiriusXM radio channel.
It’s only been a few days since Peggy’s surgery, but the 83-year-old’s ability to recover is critical. The woman who’s been helping generations of Lake Highlands neighbors find the perfect home has been in a fight to choose her own.
When Peggy began having memory issues, her four living children compromised on the plan to split her time between Dallas and Colorado. An attorney ad litem and a guardian were hired to ensure that her needs were met, although she sometimes complained about the unnecessary fuss and expense. When it was time to return from Colorado to PVN in February, Peggy balked. She stated clearly that she preferred her private bedroom and sunny patio at the home of her son and his busy family. She enjoyed riding in the car at carpool time, folding the family laundry and helping her three grandsons with their homework. The guardian tried to force her to come back. The police were summoned. The judge got involved. Still, Peggy would not budge.
If Peggy’s results over the coming months are as promising as the 77-year-old recording artist, her ability to advocate for herself could improve.
“It’s hard to say what’s age and what’s a condition,” Joel shared on SiriusXM. “I had a surgery and they implanted a shunt in my brain — and it actually improved things.”
Neurovascular surgeon Charles Matouk is director of the Yale Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Program, which has diagnosed and treated patients for more than 10 years. He hasn’t treated Joel (or Peggy), but he’s impressed that the music icon was willing to go public about this seldom-discussed health issue.
“If Billy Joel’s bravery and stardom can have a positive impact by shedding light on this condition, I think that’ll help tons of people get the help they need more quickly,” he told The New York Times.
About 700,000 older Americans are estimated to have NPH, according to Yale New Haven Health, but many cases go unrecognized or untreated. Diagnosis can be challenging because the main symptoms, such as difficulty thinking and walking, are also associated with conditions such Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or even normal aging.
Peggy will be monitored by doctors, family members, attorneys, guardians and others, and a return to court in the coming weeks or months is possible to determine next steps.
