By Mary Anne Sharer and Guy Petty
May 9, 2018 1:00 p.m.
When Fernandina resident Guy Petty got the news that he had Parkinson’s Disease (PD) he also got some advice from Dr. Tim Lucey: be sure to get LOTS of vigorous exercise. When Guy’s brother Mac saw an article in his Pittsburgh newspaper about a boxing program for PD, he sent it to Guy. When Guy showed the article to his partner Mary Anne, she did some research, then called Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) in Indianapolis.
When Guy and Mary Anne told friends they wanted to start an RSB affiliate here, in true Amelia Island fashion, a group of other angels appeared: Tom and Ann Burns, Ken and Shirley Owens, Bob and Lila Keim, Carolyn Phanstiel, Wanda Lanier, Robin and Bob Bolan, Brenda Commandeur, Jack Elgin and Patsy Isaacson, and DC residents Mary Jane Checchi and her husband former Iowa Senator John Culver.
When Mary Anne and Guy visited local physical therapists, gyms, and resorts to talk about their hope to locate RSB here, there was enthusiasm for it everywhere. When they visited Pak’s Karate Academy, Bryan and Carolyn Peeples urged them on. When they called Larry Ogilvie at Advanced Muscle Therapy, he said “Why didn’t you call me first? I’m in and I have two trainers who would love to do this.” When Guy heard that, he with Tifini McGill and Dana Beach, flew off to Indianapolis, home of RSB, for three days of training.
When Lesley Stahl (of 60 Minutes) presented a 9-minute segment on CBS Morning about her husband’s experience with Rock Steady Boxing, the program went viral. When PD patients and their friends saw the video, many contacted the RSB organization to begin steps to establish affiliates.
When Guy, Mary Anne, and Larry announced that they were ready for business, boxers turned up to get certified to train. When Max Hord, Judy Walters, Eric Blum and Philippe Boets heard about it, they all donated equipment. When Max, a former amateur Golden Gloves boxer who went on to box professionally from 1973 to 1982 and had boxed in Madison Square Garden, volunteered his time as a trainer and “corner man” he added some real ‘oomph’ to the punches.
When Rich Smith, John Knepley, Barbara Booker, Robert Hamer, Susan Crawford, Shelly Rawls, Becky Spangler, Susie Bryant, Ruth Carter, Alice Andrews, Pam Rea, Lisa Saitow, Ron Singleton, and Barbara Edwards learned about RSB, they all joined Mary Anne and Max as volunteer ‘corner men’.
When the doors opened at Advanced Muscle Therapy for the first Rock Steady class, 5 boxers showed up ready to fight “Parky”. When the doors open tomorrow, 13 of the regular 20 boxers will be there.
When Anne Martin, Research Coordinator in Movement Disorders at the Mayo Clinic heard about RSB Amelia Island, a long and productive relationship started. When Kristin Graves, a young mother with PD, who had moved to Jacksonville, heard about it, she picked the Amelia Island brains and started a second RSB at Beach Blvd. When Dr. Adrienne Butler heard about it, she drove 90 minutes from Georgia with her husband and corner man John to box, later to start her own RSB in Blackshear, GA with John and friend Brenda Sutton as co-coaches.
When Mary Anne and Guy spoke at Newcomer’s Club in 2017, Violet Boerescu told them about her husband, Stephane Chopineau, an avid recreational boxer. When Stephane visited Rock Steady he became a corner man. When Kristina Koiron, a professional dancer in New York who started kickboxing as a way of cross training and found her way to boxing with a former US Navy boxer as her coach, came to the island and heard about RSB , she also volunteered, and now helps to train the boxers, too.
When presentations were made at Sunrise Rotary Club, Newcomer’s Club, Kiwanis Club, the Women’s Club, the ACT Guild, and others, about RSB, more volunteers, more boxers, and more donations appeared. When Barnabas Nassau heard about that, they set up a special account, enabling those donations to help PD patients who cannot afford the $10 per class fee to attend Rock Steady.
When we last checked, there are now over 600 RSB affiliates in the US, and abroad in Canada, Italy, Japan, and other countries. When we partied together on April 17th, we all agreed that this has been a wonderful Amelia Island journey, providing targeted PD exercise, improvement, camaraderie, fun, and special friendships to PD boxers who FIGHT Parkinson’s together three times a week.
When YOU talk to friends and relatives afflicted with Parkinson’s, we hope that you will tell them to find a Rock Steady Boxing affiliate nearby. We promise lots of hope, good friends, a good fight!
Participant Observations
When asked what stands out to her as a boxer, Mary Bennett said, “ My husband and I were shocked by my Parkinson’s diagnosis. My doctor suggested Rock Steady. Now 6 months in, it is clear that a once monumental problem is something I can face head on with simple hard work and dedication. My movements are better, I’m getting stronger, my balance is better, and I have lots of new friends to workout with every week. We encourage each other, we laugh, and we have an amazing instructor who helps us every step of the way.
Parkinson’s can be a devastating diagnosis; don’t give up! There’s help. The Rock Steady program is designed especially for people with Parkinson’s. We box, we play volley ball, we practice writing, multitasking (like reading flash cards out loud while riding an exercise bike)- all developed specifically to help people with Parkinson’s. This program truly changes lives.”
John McCavitt said, “The people who welcomed me to Rock Steady are enthusiastic and talented. They are involved in Rock Steady because they want to be, not because they have to be.
The atmosphere in the classes and other activities is more than welcoming. I have seen this at close hand. I know that my situation poses additional burdens on members and staff and I appreciate the kindness and professionalism with which all involved have carried on . I particularly enjoy our volleyball games ,which foster a spirit of healthy but “well-controlled” competition. I also enjoy boxing with our French friend Stephane. His enthusiasm for boxing and his sense of humor have contributed greatly to my progress in recent months.”
Tom O’Neill said, “More than other programs in which I’ve participated, RSB Amelia Island benefits from organization. There is less ‘standing around’ because Tifini does a great job of planning and executing. And what a positive group of people are our volunteers! We have participants with a wide range of skills and symptoms. Because of the organization and the abundance of volunteers, we have never felt that we were being held back. There is an atmosphere where we can work as hard as we want and where everyone gets respect and attention. In larger programs elsewhere I’ve rarely been coached on technique, but here one-on-one coaching to improve our technique and the effectiveness of our efforts is common. RSB Amelia Island is best defined by its staff, coach, volunteers, organization, and the atmosphere of personal respect.
A message from Guy and Mary Anne
“One of the nicest things that has happened is that we now have a fund sitting in an established 501c3 from which an economically disadvantaged Parkinson’s patient can access the fees to participate in Rock Steady. This was not previously possible until Barnabas stepped up to receive the donations that we are now getting from local organizations learning about RSB.”
Wonderful to see. My dad (who died in 2012) took up boxing in the mid-1990’s after his diagnosis with PD. He was advised to do so by Dr. Murray Hong, a movement disorders specialist in Nova Scotia. My dad was already an accomplished ball room dancer but Dr. Hong wanted dad to also engage the upper body. Dad really got enthused about fitness and boxing so much that he was at the gym with a trainer 3 times a week. I credit all the activity with keeping him going well into his 80’s.