Al Vis found out about four years ago that he had Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. Symptoms start gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month.

Al went to his doctor when he first started to notice a tremor in his hands. His regular physician thought he might have Parkinson’s, but referred him to a neurologist. Over the next nine months, Al would visit that doctor three times before he was officially diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

Parkinson’s has no official way to be diagnosed, but is chosen as the diagnosis when certain symptoms are present and other possible diseases are ruled out. Parkinson’s disease occurs when brains cells that make dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, stop working or die. So a person with PD will often have slowness, stiffness, and resting tremor.

Al’s neurologist watched how he walked, specifically looking at his gait and how he swung his hands while he walked. One symptom of Parkinson’s is not swinging your hands when you walk.

Parkinson’s disease has no cure, but medications and therapy can significantly improve your condition. Al takes a daily medication and he supplements that with a lot of physical therapy.  Various types of exercise and movement can help people with Parkinson’s improve their balance, strength, mobility, and flexibility.

Each day, Al goes through a two-hour exercise routine.  Some of those exercises include typical aerobic exercise and stretches. He has equipment in his basement, such as mats, elastic bands, and a floor agility ladder that he uses for his routine. He writes out a routine for each day and keeps it in a log book.

You might be surprised to learn that one form of exercise that Al is using in his therapy is boxing! He works out with a speed boxing bag and a heavy punching bag several days a week. He also attends organized boxing classes in Sioux Falls two days per week.

The program is called “Rock Steady Boxing,” and it is specially designed to help people with Parkinson’s disease. Al and his wife, Dorothy, learned about the program from Al’s nephew, but didn’t know where to find a local class. 

Then they went to a volleyball game at Sioux Falls Christian. At half time, there was a man sitting two rows ahead of them at the game. His name was Millis Stearn. He had Parkinson’s, too. After chatting that evening, the Stearn’s invited Al and Dorothy to an open house at their business the next day.