Fighting Back Against Parkinsons

My new blog is a fresh start as my momentum builds to start a new nonprofit organization. A boxing gym that will benefit those diagnosed with Parkinson disease. PD is a fight that those of us living with this disease everyday know very well. I have found that boxing has helped me in such a profound way that I want to share my passion to help people with PD live a better quality of life.

When I was diagnosed with PD at the ripe old age of 32, I did not know how my life would be affected.There were so many questions and so few answers. I found myself pouring through book after book and reading everything I could get my hands on about this thing that had invaded my body. What was I looking for? What did I expect to find? I wanted someone to tell me why I had gotten this disease. The answers were not there and I finally had to realize that I may never know.

I decided I had to start doing something! I created my first PD awareness bracelet and began fundraising to raise money for research. I attended my first walkathon The Parkinson Unity Walk in NY in April 2006. It was such an amazing experience and inspired me to do more.

My husband and I and our 2 children, then 2 and 5, moved to California that summer and I began meeting other people with young onset PD through a support group. I became the leader of the support group and eventually co-founded a new chapter of the American PD Association.

Part of our chapter's mission, was to focus on wellness and improving the quality of life of people with PD. In 2008, we raised money through Pancakes for Parkinsons, a local fundraising event, to fund community exercise programs. The first of these programs was a Yoga class for PD.

In 2009, as I became more symptomatic, I knew I needed to do something for myself. I was so busy with my life I had not made time to take care of myself. My tremor in my right hand was more noticeable and I was having several freezing episodes daily. I was using a shot daily to get me through the freezing and rigidity. I had heard about a Parkinson Boxing Gym in Indianapolis which provided boxing classes to people with PD and they were having amazing results. I decided to try it myself. I randomly called a nearby boxing gym and found myself under the instruction of the most amazing trainer. The best at what he does and extremely passionate about helping people with PD. He was immediately on board with my idea for a boxing class for PD and thats how it all began. After months of boxing workouts, I noticed my symptoms drastically improving! A boxing workout gives me flexibility, helps improve balance and coordination and its such a fantastic total body workout. I have also added kickboxing into my workouts and I love it!

I had the pleasure of visiting Rock Steady Boxing in Indianapolis this summer and participating in one of their PD boxing classes. It was an amazing experience from start to finish! It inspired me to do more and I am now hopeful that we can start our own nonprofit boxing gym here in California so that we may improve the lives of people with PD.

The new nonprofit will be launched in 2010 and we are so excited about the possibilities!