By Kevin Woo | Parkinson’s International

 

Some moments are seared into our memories. Weddings, having children and other special occasions have a way of staying in our memory as if they happened yesterday.

 

For Jennifer Parkinson, October 20, 2005 was her day. That was the day she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and became a member of the club she never wanted to join.

 

Parkinson (in a twist of irony that’s her real last name) had a thriving career as a registered nurse, two children and a home in a suburb of Los Angeles. On the surface it was an ideal life.

 

The official diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise but, nevertheless she wasn’t ready for the news.

 

“I already had an idea [that I had Parkinson’s] because the neurologist had told me months before that it looked like I had PD,” Parkinson said. “I had trouble standing up [on diagnosis] day and needed assistance to get to the back to see the doctor. He asked me to walk down the hallway unassisted and I was unable to do so. He told me I had young onset PD and I would be confined to a wheelchair and unable to care for myself or my children within 10-years.”

 

“While I was relieved to know what I was dealing with, I was very upset with his prognosis and told him he couldn’t possibly know what would happen to me in 10 years. I’m pretty stubborn and hardheaded,” she continued.

 

At the time of her diagnosis there was no mention of lifestyle alternatives other than medication to manage the disease. Parkinson wasn’t encouraged to exercise or alter her diet so she continued to keep living life as normal.

 

“I had to do whatever I could because I had two young children who depended on me,” she said. “I didn’t really know that much about PD and I didn’t really know what challenges lie ahead for me. I thought I could keep working for awhile but that didn’t last too long.”

 

At the time there weren’t many PD exercise programs but in the fifteen years since her diagnosis the landscape has changed.

 

She joined the group “10 Mountains 10 Years” a which is made up of climbers who have climbed mountains such as Machu Picchu and Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for PD and Alzheimer’s disease.

 

She became actively involved with a young onset PD support group to introduce wellness to those living with Parkinson’s and their caretakers. Her message and encouragement was a foreign concept at the time. Soon thereafter Parkinson introduced yoga to the group and it’s since become a model for patients with an array of neurological disorders.

 

The boxer

 

To know Parkinson is to understand that she’s always looking for the next big thing. Four years after her diagnosis she discovered Rock Steady Boxing. At the time, Rock Steady Boxing was in its infancy the affiliate program didn’t exist. She started the first affiliate gym in 2013.  “Boxing gave me my life back and it gave my kids a mother and that’s all I ever really wanted.

 

Parkinson says that when she started, her body would freeze and couldn’t move. Her trainer would stop class, give her a shot of Apokyn (a rescue drug for PD) and tell her to get back in the ring and finish the class.

 

“I finished every class even if I had to take lots of breaks, which I did for a long time. I had no stamina. Slowly, my body began to respond to the workouts and my energy levels improved. I learned how to just push through the workouts. That’s when I started seeing big improvement.”

 

Parkinson also teaches a five-day trainer certification program which includes Parkinson’s disease, PD+, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke and Traumatic brain Injury.  It really helps keep her cognitive abilities and organizational skills sharp.

 

The climber

 

In 2015 Parkinson climbed Mt Etna in Sicily, which has an elevation of 11,000 feet, and erupted three years after her climb. She plans to return to Sicily in June 2019 for a 112-mile camino which will be completed in nine days.

 

One has to wonder if PD will be able to keep up with her.