Participants pummel Parkinson’s at Rock Steady Boxing
When he looks at old photos, he can see it now. A lack of expression. A bit of a scowl. The signs of facial masking associated with Parkinson’s disease. “Pictures from holidays, graduations – I don’t recognize myself,” says Chapin native Glen Ross. Then other symptoms began to emerge. Fatigue, confusion, and some behavioral changes. Sixty-four-year-old Glen thought he was experiencing the typical signs of aging, but his wife of 40 years, Danielle, knew something was off. The doctor discovered a thyroid problem, and Glen underwent surgery in June of 2022. After the operation, things got even worse.
Glen’s endocrinologist referred him to a neurologist and his sister, a nurse practitioner in North Carolina, advised him on what questions to ask. A thorough examination and an MRI scan resulted in a clear diagnosis: Parkinson’s disease. At work, Glen’s condition seemed to progress even more rapidly. The long hours and multitasking demands of his job as a project manager with an international company were no longer possible. Days starting with two a.m. meetings in different time zones and spent working across multiple computer monitors and programs were taking their toll. “I couldn’t use spreadsheets, couldn’t use keyboard shortcuts, and I couldn’t stop my left hand from trembling,” he says.
Meanwhile, Glen and Danielle were working a new part-time job managing his condition. They saw specialists, sought second and third opinions, tried different medicines to manage symptoms, looked for local resources, and generally tried to understand and adjust to their new life. It was all hands on deck, with family jumping in to help find solutions and a path forward. The members of the Parkinson’s disease group at his mother’s nursing home were resolute in their advice: take boxing classes. Rock Steady Boxing Irmo was ready for them.
Answering the call
Margi McLeod-Conroy was working as an esthetician when a long-time client and friend, Dona, arrived for her appointment in tears. Her husband, Roger, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. There was a place in Charleston called Rock Steady Boxing that helped tremendously with his symptoms, but they could only go there once a month when they visited his neurologist.
It was 2015, and no such place existed in the Midlands area. Margi and her husband, Terry, had been looking for a way to help people – to share their compassion with others. They had found it. “It’s almost as if God picked me for this,” says Margi. “We wanted to do something to give back to the community, and the door just flew open.” A suite had just become available at Athletes Arena where the couple were avid CrossFit participants. Another sign.
Movement as medicine
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Rock Steady Boxing opened in 2006 and has grown to include more than 900 gyms worldwide. It’s a boxing-inspired physical fitness program designed to improve symptoms and quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Scientific research has shown again and again that exercise prevents, benefits, and can even slow the progression of chronic conditions. Rock Steady Boxing builds on this knowledge by targeting specific challenges (e.g., balance, walking) that are often experienced by these individuals.
A typical class begins with warm-ups. In addition to physical exercises, Margi and coach Gwen Taylor lead the group in voice activation activities like call and response to tackle the soft speech often associated with Parkinson’s. The next 30 minutes are the heart of the program and its results. With support from spotters – spouses or volunteers known as corner men/chicks – the participants engage in three-minute stations with 30-second breaks. The high-intensity interval training (HIIT) uses different types of boxing bags (speed, heavy, even water-filled) to get the “fighters’” heart rates up.
This type of workout increases dopamine – a chemical in the brain that facilitates movement and is found to be low in people with Parkinson’s. It also improves blood flow and endurance. The second half of the class focuses on everyday living. These “functional drills” can include dressing a mannequin, turning around in a circle, heel placement when walking, transitioning between sitting and standing, doing laundry, shaving – anything to maintain and improve independence and quality of life. Mondays and Wednesdays are reserved for fighters who use wheelchairs and walkers, and a Plan of the Week (POW) from headquarters keeps the curriculum fresh. Every class ends with stretching to improve flexibility, breathing, and digestion.
Fighters as family
Pat Runager was skeptical when he arrived at Rock Steady for his first class two years ago. “I expected to see people moping around, but I found the opposite,” he says. “Everyone was aggressively going after it to make themselves better. There’s an immediate kinship, and I’ve found friendships and a likeness that have created a pretty tight bond that you can feel and see in our interactions.”
A consistent presence every Tuesday and Thursday, Pat found Rock Steady Boxing Irmo when he was more than 14 years into his diagnosis. Up until that point, the now-68-year-old had successfully managed his condition with medications. When existing symptoms (e.g., balance) began to worsen and new ones (e.g., tremors) began to appear, his son-in-law discovered Rock Steady Boxing. Pat’s doctor said to go for it. With stairs as a particular challenge, the USC alumnus had stopped attending the away games of his beloved Gamecocks because he didn’t know what hurdles the opposing football stadiums might present. Pat not only regained his ability to navigate unfamiliar environments, but he also found a community. “Gwen and Margi are not just coaches; they are participants,” he says. “They know what we’re going through and have the right tools to help.”
Beyond the classroom, those tools include connecting Rock Steady’s roster of fighters with local experts and resources. Many of the participants find the organization through referrals from neurologists and physical therapists, but Margi also invites clinicians and other specialists to provide demonstrations and education. There is a close link with the Columbia Parkinson’s Support Group as well.
Thomas Falk of Assisting Hands Home Care first learned about Rock Steady Boxing several years ago from a client’s family member. He says, “They do a fantastic service. The exercises are fast-paced and the energy in the gym is electric. At first glance, Parkinson’s Disease and boxing seem to be an odd combination, but it makes perfect sense for physical therapy.” This holistic approach results in improved symptoms, delayed progression of the disease, and a better quality of life for fighters and their families. They see changes in agility, muscle memory, posture, stress, their ability to avoid freezing up, and many other areas. They learn how to safely engage in everyday life to avoid falls and other injuries.
“The fighters can feel the difference, and the people around them can see the difference,” Margi says. “Alongside their balance and coordination, they lose their confidence. Here, they regain it.” Clients and their families are such believers in the program that many continued paying for classes even when the company had to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. They wanted to support the coaches, and they wanted to ensure that the program would be there for them when it was safe to return.
“Everyone experiences Parkinson’s disease differently, and yet we’re all in this together,” Glen says. “The social aspect of the class is good because we get to be together and so do our spouses.”
“We share things and it’s really helpful to talk with the other spouses so we can understand each other’s experiences but also, so we know what to look for and expect in the future,” Danielle adds. “Going through this stuff is tough, but there’s a great deal of camaraderie and laughter is good medicine. We think the best of Margi, Terry, and Gwen and are grateful for their passion to help people with Parkinson’s disease.”