BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. — At Rock Steady Boxing Charm City, fighting back takes on a new meaning. It’s a free class helping people living with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder that can cause tremors and slowed movement. But there’s another side that’s not always visible.
The disease can also impact dopamine levels, which may lead to anxiety and depression for some patients. For many in the class, the diagnosis can feel overwhelming at first.
“Because of the people I’ve met here, it’s very rewarding,” said Jim Czarnecki, who is living with Parkinson’s.
Czarnecki was diagnosed four years ago. He thought his symptoms were signs of a stroke.
“It was kind of relieving knowing what it was, but again, not knowing what it was. I did research, and it was scary.”
But Czarnecki and his family made the decision that he wouldn’t stop living a full life. He retired, traveled, and joined Rock Steady Boxing at Charm City, where he found a new kind of family.
“We go to trivia night together, we go to breakfast club. It’s a huge extension of your family, but it’s also an extension of people you can relate to because they understand what you’re going through,” he said.
The non-contact boxing program focuses on high-intensity workouts designed to improve strength, balance, and coordination.
“Finding a community like this definitely made a big difference because it can be a pretty lonely feeling when you first get that diagnosis,” said Mary Thomey, another member of the program.
According to the National Institute of Medicine, regular exercise may help improve brain function and manage symptoms of Parkinson’s. About 500,000 Americans are diagnosed with the condition, but experts say the true number is likely much higher, possibly closer to one million.
“When I graduated PT school back in the early 2000s, we were instructed that with Parkinson’s disease, there’s nothing that we could do, and you didn’t want to make folks exercise because you didn’t want to spend the rest of their dopamine. Turns out that’s false,” said Patricia Wessels, a physical therapist and head coach of Rock Steady Boxing.
Nine years ago, one of her longtime patients came to her. She thought it was a routine visit to treat his back pain, but instead, he told her he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
“I literally told him, ‘I don’t treat that, you need a different therapist.’ And he said, ‘No, I’m not going to another one, and they said I needed therapy.’”
So instead of turning him away, she came across the national organization Rock Steady Boxing and decided to bring the program to Baltimore.
“It’s really, really… it’s so meaningful. I could cry if I think about it too much, but one of the things I love so much about doing this work with this group of people is that even on their worst day, they bring 110%," she said.
The class is free, funded by the Maryland Association for Parkinson Support, which offers exercise and support programs in 15 counties.
Each week, they reach more than 2,000 people across the state living with the condition.
