WEST BEND, Wis. — Rock Steady Boxing participants live with a form of Parkinson's disease and want to raise awareness and encourage others to join the fight against it.
Dawn Giraldo, 49, emailed TMJ4 Washington County reporter Marcus Aarsvold about her diagnosis and how she combats the disease by working out at AIMS Fitness in West Bend.
"I want more people to know there are places like this," Giraldo said. "There is hope, and it is not a death sentence."
She learned she had young-onset Parkinson's disease (YOPD) after suffering a stroke one year ago.
"This isn't an old person's disease," she said. "This can happen from your 20s on, and I know there are more people who have it and just don't have the resources."
Watch: Boxing helping those with Parkinson's fight back:
David Seefield is another fighter who finds community with others who box through Rock Steady and truly understand YOPD.
"This is a very tough disease to live with," he said. "But when you have people you can relate to and talk to, it makes you feel better."
Coach Dawn Jen Lenzendorf owns the facility at 3130 Newark Drive in West Bend. She leads the warm-up, boxing, and cool-down exercises for fighters to improve their physical and mental health.
"Movement is their medicine. It's the best thing they can do," she said. "Things that you and I might take for granted, their brains need to work a little harder on."
The boxers focus on number patterns they must follow when hitting boxing dummies and balls during training sessions. Lenzendorf said the strategic workouts help improve cognitive function, fine motor skills, and balance for people with YOPD.
"It energizes you. By the end of class, I can move my joints further than when I started," Giraldo said. "Now I'm living life to the fullest. Yeah, there are some things I can't do, but there is so much that I can do. There is so much life to live."
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