Fighting Parkinson’s disease one swing at a time through boxing in Visalia
Patti Millerwas diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 67.
By Kassandra Gutierrez
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VISALIA, California (KFSN) — In Tulare County, a group is staying active and fighting the progression of Parkinson’s.
“I was crushed, I shed a few tears for a while, and I decided to get with the program, you gotta deal with it,” said Patti Miller as she recalls being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 67.
For the last 16 years, her efforts have been focused on staying active to fight the disease.
“It’s not gonna go away, it’s not gonna get any better, but with exercise you can maintain some of it,” expressed Patti.
Patti is part of the Rock Steady Boxing class at Quail Park at Shannon Ranch, where she is a resident in Visalia.
The program is geared towards helping people with Parkinson’s disease deal with the physical symptoms.
For those without, Boxing for Balance is a class focused on endurance.
“I want to be involved in things that stimulate longevity,” says Marti McCraw, a resident at Quail Park and Boxing for Balance member.
Maintaining balance, strength, and stamina are a few of the benefits of the boxing programs, especially for those with Parkinson’s..
“Obviously, there is a psychological benefit too, if you are running the disease instead of the disease running you, then that’s a long-term plus for people’s quality of life,” explained Jeff Moyer, executive director at Quail Park.
Moyer says in the past 25 years, the number of Parkinson’s cases has doubled.
“There are also some specific risk factors here in the Central Valley that contribute to the likelihood of somebody developing Parkinson’s, and that’s exposure to carcinogens, you think of all the pesticides and fertilizers here in the valley, as well as air pollution,” mentioned Moyer.
According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, there are over 1 million people living with Parkinson’s in the United States.
That number is expected to be closer to 1.2 million by 2030.
Although you can’t reverse the diagnosis, you can slow the progress through fitness and staying involved.
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