About a million people have Parkinson’s disease, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. And, medicine isn’t the only way to help ease symptoms.
Juan Rodriguez uses boxing to fight an opponent from within, which is Parkinson’s disease. He told CBS News Miami that when he first started boxing, he had trouble walking and could barely stretch due to his diagnosis.
“I wasn’t able to do a lot,” Rodriguez said. “I wasn’t able to put on my socks correctly [and] I had a hard time tying my shoes.”
Now, he can wrap up his gloves and throw punches. He learned the essence of training: The more challenging the drill, the greater the progress.
“This thing helped me a lot to do more than I wanted to,” Rodriguez said.
He’s the youngest boxer at the Box with a Heart program at the Michael Ann Russell Jewish Community Center. It’s part of the national Rock Steady Boxing program, which offers classes for people with Parkinson’s.
“He is an animal now,” said Jennifer Enslign, who started the program nine years ago. “He runs. He does everything.”
She told CBS News Miami it’s a year-round program because Parkinson’s symptoms don’t stop. She started the program because her husband has the disease.
“I was looking for alternatives and therapies beyond medication and I said this is exactly what I need to do,” Enslign said.
The program started with just 12 boxers. Now it’s helped nearly 300. Its mission has stayed the same: slow down Parkinson’s symptoms one punch at a time.
Now the program has retired boxer Francisco Palacios as a volunteer. He told CBS News Miami that the sport can help improve anyone’s mobility, balance and hand-eye coordination.
“The combinations help them balance themselves and their stability,” Palacios said. “That’s the first thing they lose when they get Parkinson’s.”
Rodriguez said that because of boxing, he doesn’t recognize the version of himself from three years ago.
“It’s a shock to me sometimes that I’m able to get this far,” Rodriguez said.
To their doctor’s their patients, but here they are boxers.
