L-R: Amy Sara Richardson, Julie Gentz, Lana Todd, Paul Morgan
As the number of Americans diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease grows every year, local residents are finding a community of support through different programs in Washington County.
April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, as those with the neurodegenerative disorder amount to more than the combined number of those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Lou Gehrig’s disease. YMCA of Washington County has begun offering a rock steady boxing class for those with PD on Mondays and Thursdays from 1-2:15 p.m. at the Washington branch. Wellman Parkside Wellness Coordinator/Fitness Manager Angie Boyse is certified to teach the high-intensity class that is catered to each person’s preferences and advancement of PD. Boyse knows the difficulty of living with PD, as her mother is diagnosed, “You find out you have Parkinson’s, that day you had is probably your last best day. You aren’t ever going to get better than that day. So mentally and physically it’s a lot to take in and so their confidence that they can bring to and after class is amazing, that they’re able to punch something. The frustration of not knowing but you can do this, you can take it out on the punching bag that day and kind of forget everything and just feel like you’re back to who you were as a person before this disease defined you.”
The class currently has five participants, and Boyse looks forward to gaining more and expanding the classes to meet varying needs. Those with PD and caregivers can also gain resources, meet others, and hear from speakers at a Parkinson’s support group that meets the fourth Thursday of each month from 3-4:30 p.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Washington. Amy Sara Richardson of Ainsworth shares how the group has helped her since her diagnosis in 2020, “They were just so supportive of me and welcoming and answered all my questions and then Julie [Gentz] connected me with Lana [Todd] and it’s just been so incredibly helpful to have people that understand. Like I can Facebook message one of them and be like, ‘Why do I feel this way?’ Listen to them and hear what they’re saying and say, ‘I know how that feels.’ And it’s encouraging to have someone who I don’t have to explain it to, they just get it.”
A new Parkinson’s support group has also begun meeting at the Kalona Public Library on the last Monday of the month from 4:30-5:30 p.m. For more information email 48ford@kctc.net or call 319-656-5347. You can hear more about local resources and Parkinson’s Awareness Month during a three-part Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.