11/17/2023
"Even though I tried to prepare myself for this
diagnosis, I was still numb when I heard it.… Parkinson’s!
Now what? I’m in limbo. I have no doctor and no direction. I returned to my
computer to look up the medications that the doctor suggested to me. No, no,
no…side effects from these meds can be worse than the symptoms of the
illness! I was grieving the loss of my health. I think I’m
done with the denial; that was how I felt up to the time I first saw the doctor
in February. Now I’ve slipped right into the anger stage. How am I going to
deal with this degenerative illness? These horrible meds may help diminish
some of the symptoms, but I will never get better, only worse as time goes
on. Not fair! Even people with cancer can be cured.
Since I’ve always believed that knowledge is power, I guess it’s time for me to figure
this out. Perhaps if I can find a way to move forward, I can pull myself out of
the depression that I can’t seem to shake. I read all about Rock Steady Boxing online and how it’s designed for people with PD. I watched some YouTube videos and did lots of reading. After discussing it with my family, I decided to give this a try. I found a Rock Steady gym located in Staten Island and then I met Coach Dayel. That’s
when my world changed. May 2019; Dayel encouraged me to come to class and try it out. I realized when I stepped into that gym for the very first time that this was going to be good for me. I didn’t need to be athletic or a fitness fanatic. Every person in
the gym worked at a different pace and ability level. Dayel made sure to give
each person the individual attention they needed, while pushing them to do
their best for that day.
I can emphatically say this….Rock Steady Boxing is the best gift I could
ever have given myself. It has taken me from a very dark, depressed place
and lifted me to the final stage of grief – ‘acceptance’. I can’t control this
disease, but I can control how I choose to live with it! I will NEVER GIVE
UP!" - RSB boxer Ellen Racioppi from RSB Staten Island, NY.