If Parkinson’s disease had a motive, it might be to take control away from those it afflicts. But members of the Durango Parkinson’s Support Group are fighting back – literally – at The Good Fight Boxing Gym.
The support group was founded by Joe “Fly” Goulet in 2006, said member Cheryle Brandsma. Katy Kopec, a speech and language pathologist and owner of The Good Fight, took over leadership of the group in early 2023.
The support group meets monthly, and some members gather on Thursdays for regular boxing workouts.
“We have such an amazing community,” Kopec said.
One thing members of the support group share is the understanding that Parkinson’s affects everyone differently.
Symptoms – tremors, stiffness and cognitive issues, just to name a few – appear at different times and severities for each individual. Many people sense something changing within themselves before they are diagnosed, support group members said.
Another shared belief among members is that Parkinson’s is not a death sentence, and one of the best ways to fight it is exercise.
Member Roberta Eichmann said her 2022 Parkinson’s diagnosis took her completely by surprise, and she laughs now at the fact that she’s boxing to fight back. The act of punching and making solid contact is invigorating.
“What Parkinson’s feels like to me is wavery and uncertain and kind of shrinking,” she said. “And so when you knock it out there and connect, it feels (satisfying).”
Member Diane Scott said she was diagnosed about a decade ago and heard through Eichmann – nearly 10 years before Eichmann’s own diagnosis – that boxing was a healthy activity for people with Parkinson’s.
“Along comes Katy (Kopec), promoting boxing,” she said. “I’m like, ‘I’m going to try this,’ and Roberta said, it’s great.”
Fighting Parkinson’s with research for a cure, patient care and exercise
Durango resident Pat Morrissey, who has Parkinson’s disease, said the first thing the Durango Parkinson’s community needs is doctors who specialize in addressing individual needs, which is hard to come by in a rural setting.
They also need support, socialization and exercise, he said, which The Good Fight Boxing Gym offers.
Morrissey said a fundraiser is scheduled for sometime in July to bring the community together in support of people with Parkinson’s.
He was part of a crew that completed the World’s Toughest Row challenge from California to Hawaii in 2024 to raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease and also participated in the Parkinson’s Unity Walk in New York City’s Central Park last month.
He is a member of the Michael J. Fox Foundation’sPatient Council, which represents the broader Parkinson’s community, monitors research and progress toward a cure, and serves as a voice for the needs of those living with the disease.
“There is not a cure, but there has been studies shown that exercise will help reduce the progression of Parkinson’s. That is something the group is really working on, and that is what Katy (Kopec) brings,” he said. “Boxing is so important. The movement and being able to get your body and mind to think together has been a very proven exercise that helps Parkinson’s patients.”
Scott said boxing is dynamic, helping counteract Parkinson’s tendency to slow and shrink movements. The sport allows her to put herself “out there.”
She said she was inspired by fellow support group member Peter Muckerman, a former medical first responder who worked during political unrest in Asia, noting his sense of humor.
Muckerman, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 14 years ago, said he trained people in disaster preparedness and first aid. While traveling in Asia, he had the opportunity to serve as a jail doctor for about 200 political prisoners in Afghanistan.
He said his Parkinson’s diagnosis marked the end of his medic career. But he found a supportive community in the Durango Parkinson’s Support Group.
“These are some remarkable people. Their spirit, it’s really great,” he said.
Muckerman said his sense of humor comes naturally, as does his philosophy of giving people their best moments on their worst days.
“If we can take them and lighten them up, we can get through it,” he said. “… I look at humor – we’re funny. I mean, humans, we’re a hoot. And I don’t know jokes and stuff like that, but I can take the experience of our daily humanity so people see it, see themselves and see ourselves differently. Like, aren’t we something?”
In April, Durango City Council issued a proclamation declaring April as Parkinson’s disease Awareness Month. Several support group members spoke and declared themselves “shaky warriors” determined to fight a disease that, they said, can’t defeat someone entirely unless they stop fighting.
cburney@durangoherald.com
