The following is the story of Curt and his journey with Parkinson’s and getting involved with Rock Steady Boxing. This is the second of four blogs within the Rock Steady Boxing series.

Curt’s Journey

What was once just an annoyance became a shocking diagnosis for Curt. “I was in good shape, strong, and athletic,” he remarked. 

Despite his well-maintained physique, Curt was experiencing some abnormalities in his day-to-day life, which were exemplified when it came to participating in his favorite pastimes. 

“I like to fly fish in the mountains,” said Curt. He remembers that it used to take him just a minute to tie a fly, but he found it was now taking him ten minutes.

Not only that, but Curt noticed a change in another beloved sport of his, golfing. “I love golf. I'd put my tee in the ground and it would be off a quarter of an inch or something. So the ball would always fall off. Very frustrating,” he said.

Much to Curt’s dismay, these occurrences along with others continued. He decided it would be in his best interest if he went in to see his general practitioner to get an opinion. What the doctor had to say was shocking. “He said, ‘Curt, I think you got Parkinson's.’”

At first, Curt could not bring himself to accept the news.“I didn't believe it when I was hearing it. That couldn't be me.” So, Curt sought the opinion of two separate neurologists to see if there would be a different outcome. Both diagnosed him with Parkinson’s.

Receiving any type of diagnosis can be difficult. Curt shared that he had a “hard time accepting and believing it.” 

Parkinson's is a progressive neurological disorder that affects your ability to move and communicate. Symptoms such as trembling, stiffness, lack of balance, and impaired coordination initially appear slowly before significantly increasing over time. As the disease progresses further, patients can experience increasing difficulty in activities like walking or talking, making everyday tasks harder than usual.

Curt Fights Back 

However, Curt was, and still is, determined to do all that he could to slow the development of the disease. Curt remained physically active which really helped slow the progression. He even tried to get involved with Tai Chi. He shared that “I didn't do very well with that. It didn't seem to help me.” He stopped going after a few sessions.

It was around this time Curt was introduced to Rock Steady Boxing at The Palms of Largo, an affiliate program of Rock Steady Boxing, Inc. 

Curt was part of a support group led by his neurologist. “Somebody mentioned Rock Steady Boxing and I'd never heard of it before.” He gathered some more information from his fellow group members and attended his first class. 

Rock Steady Boxing is an affiliate program of Rock Steady Boxing Inc., which was founded in 2006 by Scott Newman. The organization provides classes taught by certified coaches at over 500 locations across the United States and Canada. Several communities managed by The Goodman Group offer Rock Steady Boxing, including The Palms of Largo.

“I was a little uncomfortable at first. I didn't quite know what to expect,” began Curt. “When I first started coming to Rock Steady Boxing it was kind of like a chore, but it soon got to be a fun thing. It turns out it's very easy to make friends with Rock Steady Boxing,” shared Curt. 

For the past seven years, Curt has regularly attended Rock Steady Boxing classes at The Palms of Largo. 

Being physically active is “just like medicine to a Parkinson's patient,” shares Curt, “it can be just as valuable as a drug.” 

Not only has Rock Steady Boxing helped Curt physically, but the friends he has gained along the way have been emotionally beneficial to him, too. “It's like a big family.” 

“People in that group,” Curt says emotionally, “understand you. They've got the same problem. So it really meant a lot… they can walk in your shoes.”

Over the past few years, “Parkinson's has made a good bit of progress on me. But, I’m still putting up a good fight,” comments Curt. Rock Steady Boxing is an excellent outlet for individuals to “fight back” against Parkinson's.

Rock Steady Boxing, with stellar coaches, offers hope to many living with Parkinson's who otherwise feel helpless in the face of this disease. It has come to transform the lives of countless patients by helping them fight the effects of their conditions. Not only does it provide invaluable physical support, but it also offers an incredible sense of community for those taking part.