Thanks to a recent boxing fundraiser featuring local cops and firefighters, charity Punch Out Parkinson鈥檚 raised enough funds to secure a location in 91原创 for a new wellness centre.
Punch Out Parkinson鈥檚 offers a specialized boxing program, sponsored by Box2Fit, to help those with Parkinson鈥檚 or Parkinson鈥檚-like symptoms.
Since receiving charity status earlier this year, Laurentia La Sasso and her son Frankie La Sasso got to work raising funds to open a wellness centre in the new year in 91原创.
鈥淥ur mission is to provide a one stop centre for the much-needed programs, which are proven to support their physical, mental and emotional well-being,鈥� Laurentia explained. 鈥淎 Parkinson鈥檚 centre is desperately needed for a disease that is afflicting 30 people each and every day in Canada alone.鈥�
She said the centre will meet the needs of family members too.
鈥淲e encompass the mental, emotional, social, [and] physical aspects and needs. We embrace the family unit as Parkinson鈥檚 may be the diagnosis for one individual in the family, but the caregiver and family members struggle with the disease as well,鈥� she noted.
The Punch Out Parkinson鈥檚 Wellness Centre is expected to open in March 2024, on the 91原创 Bypass next to the Box2Fit gym.
Frankie, Box2Fit gym owner and coach with a background in physiotherapy, helped design the boxing program and said it has helped people with Parkinson鈥檚 strengthen the mind-body connection.
鈥淵ou got to be ready to throw the next combo, and the next combo,鈥� Frankie said. 鈥淵ou got to be able to put those numbers with your hands at the same time 鈥� when you watch two men fighting each other, they鈥檙e both thinking and moving at the same time.鈥�
He said his Punch Out Parkinson鈥檚 programs are not therapy. People walk in the door and are taught the basics of boxing but with an individualistic approach. The classes specifically focus on balance, strength, conditioning, and, of course, boxing.
Laurentia, also a Box2Fit trainer, further explained exercises are often modified depending on the individual鈥檚 symptoms and situation and people attending the class report that their doctors will ask what they are doing because their symptoms have been staved off.
The wellness centre will combine resources to address the physical, mental, and emotional needs of its patients, as well as those of caregivers and family members. It will also provide a space for neurologists to meet, evaluate, and educate patients.
Parkinson鈥檚 is the world鈥檚 fastest growing neurodegenerative disease. Movement is normally controlled by dopamine, a chemical that carries signals between the nerves in the brain. When cells that normally produce dopamine die, the symptoms of Parkinson鈥檚 appear. According to Parkinson Canada, more than 100,000 Canadians live with Parkinson鈥檚 and 25 more are diagnosed every day.
The centre will be located at 20560 91原创 Bypass.
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