GREENFIELD — For 54-year-old Bill McCleery, a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis wasn’t a reason to slow down—it was a reason to keep moving. He picked up a basketball and boxing gloves.
The Greenfield resident was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s around 50, but he noticed symptoms years earlier.
“In my mid to late 40s, I had some odd things happen like I'd have double vision sometimes and I experienced a lot of anxiety and fatigue,” McCleery said. “I mean, it's throwing a wrench into my routines to some extent.”
Still, McCleery was determined not to let the neurodegenerative disease dictate his lifestyle.
“Thankfully, I feel like I can still do everything I want to do,” he said.
McCleery turned to two sports—basketball, his first passion, and boxing—to stay active.
He’s now a regular at Rock Steady Boxing, a gym specifically designed to help people with Parkinson’s improve strength, coordination and confidence.
“I had always played basketball, so it was easy for me… But I never boxed, so it's kind of a whole new challenge,” McCleery said.
Rock Steady Boxing combines physical and cognitive training for people living with Parkinson’s.
William Lee, a former professional boxer, is now a head coach at the gym’s headquarters in Indianapolis.
“We work everything from head to toe: cognitive functioning, muscle development, strengthening, balance, hand and eye coordination, focus, the drive, the will to never quit,” Lee said.
Preston Moon, another coach at Rock Steady and a longtime boxer, has been living with Parkinson’s for more than 25 years and has been a part of the gym for the last 16.
“It saved my life,” Moon said. “It helps us develop new neural pathways to re-engage those muscle groups that our brain has been lying to that we can't use anymore.”
Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement and coordination. While there’s no cure, physical activity is considered one of the most effective ways to manage symptoms and potentially slow progression.
“Movement is the best thing that you can do,” said Gabrielle Perruzzi of the Parkinson’s Foundation Midwest Chapter. “Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the neurons in the brain… Progression of the symptoms varies from person to person.”
Perruzzi added they recommend 2.5 hours of light aerobic exercise a week for those with the disease.
McCleery told WRTV staying active has helped him feel both physically and mentally stronger and he’s encouraging others with Parkinson’s to find what activity works for them.
“You can actually get better week to week and get stronger, and that's a morale booster, and that's like a mental—it's therapeutic mentally,” he said. “You have a battle on your hands, but fight it and be aggressive about it, and just each day wake up with that purpose and desire to be stronger.”
McCleery also encourages others to join him in movement.
Several of the men he plays basketball with also have Parkinson's.
Upcoming Event
McCleery is a part of the Parkinson's Foundation and is currently raising money for the organization's second annual Moving Day Walk in Indianapolis on Sept. 20 at Conner Prairie.
The event raises funds for research and honors individuals and families affected by Parkinson’s.
The walk begins at 9 a.m. and is open to the public.
