BYRON CENTER, Mich. — April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, a time to recognize and understand the disease that is affecting over 10 million people across the world. Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s.
According to the Parkinson's Foundation, nearly 90,000 people are diagnosed annually with the disease. The number of people diagnosed in the United States is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030.
Some of those diagnosed are from West Michigan. Exercise is one way to help deal with the disease, which is why I spent the day with a group in my Byron Center neighborhood helping neighbors who have been diagnosed.
In January 2025, I introduced you to John Varineau at Rock Steady Boxing West Michigan. He picked up the gloves after being diagnosed with Parkinson's back in 2022. Now, a year later, I am following up on his progress.
WATCH:Byron Center boxing gym helps Parkinson's disease patients regain their motor skills and build confidence.
For Varineau, a music conductor, life has been different these past three years since his diagnosis.
"I noticed when I first was doing this, that my left arm wasn't swinging when I was walking. Of course, there's the tremor," Varineau said.
The disease affects motor skills, which was an issue for him until he started coming to the gym.
"Part of Parkinson's is that our motions get smaller and smaller and smaller. And part of this boxing routine is that we have to make big motions, and we have to make intentional intentional motions," Varineau said.
Coach Amy Hooyer has Parkinson's herself. She says moving for the past 14 years has helped her.
"When you're diagnosed with Parkinson's, your your muscles stop working. So you want to make sure that you keep them going," Hooyer said. "Otherwise you're going to go downhill, be in a wheelchair, and be bedridden."
The impact of the disease is not just physical. Theresa Dekker was diagnosed with Parkinson's nine years ago, and it took toll on her mental health.
"Parkinson's kind of takes to your confidence in your physical abilities away. And I was feeling that that was getting more and more overwhelming," Theresa Dekker said.
Changing the confidence she had, and losing a passion of hers for some time.
"I used to love to dance, and I still love to dance, but I don't feel confident dancing anymore," Theresa Dekker said.
She traded in her dancing shoes for boxing gloves back in November and has not looked back. Her husband, Corry Dekker, sees the difference.
"I think that she's, you know, benefited from the class. She's become a lot more confident and a lot more capable in certain ways," Corry Dekker said.
The boxing is helping to bring back her dance skills, too.
"I'm gaining confidence because of some of the exercises here. Definitely has it made you want to dance. Maybe again. I think we're dancing a little more. We dance in the kitchen a lot," Theresa Dekker said.
The class is getting a thumbs up from Varineau's doctor as well.
"Since we last talked, I've been to my neurologist, and he said that I need to keep doing what I'm doing to stay active," Varineau said.
"It has really helped. My range of motion is bigger, and I'm doing really well," Varineau said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
