The month of April is Parkinson's Awareness Month, and for the 10 million people worldwide with the incurable disease, it is a time when they can speak out and show everyone how they fight back.
As of now, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but that does not stop around 20 Lima locals from fighting back against the degenerative disease.
Since we last stopped the by in January, the Rock Steady Boxing class by the Senior Citizens Services has quadrupled it’s class size, proving it to be a popular and fun way for people with Parkinson’s to get a workout and help maintain their movement.
“A lot of people with Parkinson’s are affected with a stooped posture, a shuffling gate, balance issues, and tremor,” said Molly Scott, one of the coaches for Rock Steady Boxing Lima. “A lot of the aspects of boxing, you have to really challenge your balance to be in a boxing stance and to reach and to punch, to move around, move forward, move backward, move side to side. That really helps with the balance, and a lot of the functional activities help with strength, being able to maintain upright posture, and walking correctly.”
The boxers come for the physical workout they get from the class, but while they are here they are also getting a boost to their brains.
“One of the things that Parkinson’s patients deal with is depression,” said boxer Jack Spratt. “Because there is no cure, we think ‘woe is me’. This takes it all away. You’re in here having good time with people that all have the same problems. We can’t make the disease go away, there’s no cure for it, but we can limit the effects of what’s happening. Exercise is proven to be one of the things that has done that and boxing is a big one because it’s a total work out."
Spratt, who has been involved with the class since its beginnings, said not only has he noticed an improvement in his health, but it has also given him a boost in confidence as well.
