Commentary By Danny O’Malia
Last week, I had the pleasure of joining about 600 fellow concerned citizens at a wonderful event at Carmel’s own Ritz Charles. It was the second annual fundraising breakfast for Rock Steady Boxing, which helps Parkinson’s sufferers slow, and in some cases reverse, the symptoms and ravages of this awful disease.
Rock Steady gives people with Parkinson’s disease hope by improving their quality of life through a non-contact boxing-based fitness curriculum. It all started when former Marion County Prosecutor Scott Newman was diagnosed with the disease and a friend suggested he try boxing exercises back in 2006. The exercises worked. One thing led to another until Rock Steady was founded in 2009 and they’re working miracles for over 100 local Parkinson’s sufferers, so much so that they’re getting calls from all over the country from people interested in doing the same thing in their community.
The event at the Ritz raised about $90,000 for this important initiative. More importantly, it increased awareness about Parkinson’s and Rock Steady.
Probably the best known Parkinson’s victim is actor Michael J. Fox. He has a foundation to raise money for research, as does former NBA player and Parkinson’s victim Brian Grant. Joyce Johnston, executive director at Rock Steady, pointed out that research is very important but so is treatment, and treatment is what Rock Steady does.
Want to help? Or know someone with Parkinson’s? Contact Rock Steady Boxing:
- 5026 E. 62nd (62nd&Binford in Peak Performance)
- 317-205-9198
- www.rocksteadyboxing,org
- [email protected]
