Retired NBA power forward Brian Grant isn’t the only famous athlete with Parkinson’s. Here are 10 more sports superstars diagnosed with the disease.
NBA legend Brian Grant retired from professional basketball in 2006 after a 12-year career playing for the Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
Two years later, at the age of 36, he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s disease. This motivated him to launch the Brian Grant Foundation, which provides educational tools to help people with Parkinson’s lead active, fulfilling lives. (Check out our online Parkinson’s exercise videos!)
But, as most of us know, Grant isn’t the only sports superstar to power through the disease. Here are 10 more legendary athletes with Parkinson’s.
1. Muhammad Ali
Let’s start with the obvious choice – the greatest of all time – Mr. “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. The hands can’t hit what the eyes can’t see” Muhammad Ali, the leading heavyweight champion of the 20th century. Three years after retiring from boxing in 1981, he was diagnosed with PD and committed himself to raising awareness and research funding. The Muhammad Ali Parkinson Center is a Parkinson’s Foundation Center of Excellence. “The Greatest” passed away in 2006. An estimated 1 billion viewers worldwide watched his memorial.
2. Roger Bannister
Roger Bannister was a British Olympic athlete and the first man to run a four-minute mile in 1954. After his track career ended, he went on to become a distinguished neurologist at Oxford, publishing more than 80 papers before retiring in 1993. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011 and passed away in 2018 at the age of 88.
3. Dave Jennings
Dave Jennings was a legendary football punter who played in the NFL from 1974 to 1987 for the New York Giants and the New York Jets. He worked as a radio color commentator for Giants games from 2002 until 2007. He died in 2012 after a long battle with PD at the age of 61.
4. Kirk Gibson
Kirk Gibson is a retired MLB player who played for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s best known for two game-winning homeruns in the 1984 and 1988 World Series. Following his retirement from baseball in 1995, he became a television analyst and then a coach for the Tigers in 2003. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015. Today the Kirk Gibson Foundation is helping to find a cure for Parkinson’s.
5. Davis Phinney
Davis Phinney is a retired professional bike racer from Boulder, Colorado. His racing career spanned two decades and included two stage victories in the Tour de France and the 1984 Olympic Bronze Medal. Phinney was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s in 2000 at age 40. He started the Davis Phinney Foundation to help people with Parkinson’s lead active lives.
6. Jerry Sloan
Basketball hall-of-famer Jerry Sloan was a two-time all-Star and a four-time all-defensive player for the Chicago Bulls. He later went on become one of the most respected coaches in the NBA for the Utah Jazz. Sloan has been living with PD and Lewy body dementia since 2016.
7. Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza, nicknamed “The Toe,” was an NFL placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns. Throughout his 21 seasons, he helped the Browns win eight league championships and set numerous records in field goals. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the 1990s. He passed away in 2000 from a heart attack at the age of 76.
8. Al Arbour
Canadian ice hockey star Al Arbour had a long career as a defenseman in the NHL starting with the Detroit Red Wings in 1954. After retiring from the St. Louis Blues in 1970, he began a successful coaching career. Arbour won three Stanley Cups as a player and four more as the coach of the New York Islanders. He died in 2015 at age 82 shortly after his Parkinson’s diagnosis.
9. Dave Parker
Dave Parker, better known as “The Cobra” was a seven-time MLB all-star who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays. He was part of two World Series champions, won two batting championships and was the 1978 MVP. Parker has been living with Parkinson’s since 2013.
10. Freddie Roach
Freddie Roach is a former lightweight boxer with a career record of 40 wins and 13 losses. He was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 27. Now in his third decade with PD, he credits vigorous exercise and his training as a coach to slowing down the progression of his disease. Coach Roach is now 59.
This month we’re focusing on balance exercises for Parkinson’s.
Balance problems are common in Parkinson’s. As a result it can limit your mobility and make it hard to do everyday activities. For this reason, February’s move of the month focuses on balance exercises for Parkinson’s. You can improve your balance by practicing a variety of movements as demonstrated in this video.
We’re teaming up with the Parkinson’s Fitness Project to bring you a move of the month in 2019. In this video Nate Coomer talks about the different types of balance. He also leads us through a few movements that can help to improve balance. By focusing on balance exercises for Parkinson’s, you can improve this symptom. Learn more about the Parkinson’s Fitness Project at www.theparkinsonsfitnessproject.com.
Are you having a hard time sticking to your fitness and nutrition goals? Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Apathy and Parkinson’s often go together.
January is the time of year when people feel the most ambitious about setting fitness and nutrition goals. But sticking to those goals for more than a couple of weeks is another story. We get it. It’s hard for anyone to stay motivated to eat well and exercise, but it’s even harder for people with Parkinson’s.
If you are experiencing apathy (feeling unmotivated or experiencing a lack of interest), know that you are not alone. Apathy is a symptom of Parkinson’s affecting up to 40 percent of people living with the disease.
One explanation is that people with Parkinson’s are at greater risk for apathy because they produce insufficient amounts of the brain chemical dopamine. People who are older, farther along in their disease, or experiencing impaired cognition or depression are at higher risk of developing apathy.
If you’re having a tough time sticking to those New Year’s health resolutions, don’t fret! It’s BGF to the rescue with five easy tips to help you stay motivated.
Set achievable goals.
The idea is to start small with goals you are confident you can achieve. If you are out of shape but want to start running, don’t set a goal to run three miles a day. Instead, make a commitment to get off the couch and take a walk around the neighborhood every day. After a few days of walking, set a new goal to turn that walk into a jog. Before you know it, you’ll be off and running.
You should also avoid setting too many goals at once. Instead, start with one or two totally doable goals. From there, you can tack on more goals as your confidence and motivation builds. In time, setting and accomplishing goals will feel so satisfying that you won’t want to stop.
Find a fitness partner.
When it comes to sticking to your New Year’s goals, there is strength in numbers. Find a buddy with similar fitness and nutrition aspirations. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a friend, partner, family member, coworker, neighbor or someone else with Parkinson’s.
This way, you’re not just holding yourself accountable, they’re holding you accountable too –and vice versa. We all have goals we want to achieve whether it’s to work out, eat healthier or get out of the house more often. When you let someone else in on those goals and are praised for accomplishing them, you’ll be motivated to accomplish more.
Stick to a schedule.
You are most likely to stick to a goal when it becomes a daily habit. Consider mapping out tomorrow’s to-do list the night before. This is second nature for some folks. For others, it can feel a little bit daunting or restrictive. The idea is to know in advance what you’re going to do that day and when you’re going to do it. It doesn’t have to be down to the minute.
Plan ahead what you’re going to have for each meal and set aside eating times. This will make it easier to stick to a healthy meal plan. Include a 30- to 60-minute workout session and make this your daily exercise time. When you’re accustomed to working out at a certain time each day, you’ll feel off when you skip a day. Then you won’t let it happen again.
Think fun and variety.
If you perform the exact same workout every day for the same length of time, not only is that really boring, but your body and brain will become adjusted to this routine. In order to slow down the progression of Parkinson’s disease, we need exercises that vary in intensity and will challenge us mentally and physically.
The same concept applies to nutrition as well. If you get in the habit of eating the same things day in and day out, food will become less appetizing. Experiment with fruits and vegetables you don’t usually eat. Incorporate them into fun and easy plant-based recipes that will make your mouth water just thinking about them.
If you stick with us, we guarantee that fitness and nutrition can be fun. The Brian Grant Foundation hosts numerous cooking courses and fitness classes throughout the year. Bookmark our events page to see if there are any upcoming classes that suit your fancy. Keep checking in because we are constantly updating our calendar.
We also have a variety of virtual fitness classes that you can do at home, which were developed specifically for people with Parkinson’s disease by renowned physical therapists and range between 10-60 minutes.
The Power Through Project is a social network created for people in the Parkinson’s exercise community. Sign up today to find Parkinson’s friendly fitness classes in your area, learn which exercises help which motor symptoms, and get to know others around the world who are powering through Parkinson’s. Good luck!
Are you a fan of Sports Illustrated? Purchase a subscription on Amazon Smile and support our programs for people with Parkinson’s! Visit smile.amazon.com and sign up to have a portion of the proceeds from your purchases support the Brian Grant Foundation. Happy shopping!
Your jaw will drop when you read about this 66-year-old woman’s fitness routine. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
When Cathie Baker of Scappoose, Oregon, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014 at the age of 61, she was “a little bit freaked out,” she admits.
Her father had lived with Parkinson’s and struggled with the disease, which progressed quickly and led to dementia.
“It was really bad because he didn’t go to the doctor right away,” Baker explained. “But my neurologist was very good and said, ‘Don’t worry about that. We caught it at a good time.’”
By then, scientists had advanced their research around the causes, symptoms and treatments for Parkinson’s. Promising results from clinical trials had proven that consistent, high-intensity exercise helps mitigate Parkinson’s symptoms and slow down disease progression.
For Baker, the future didn’t seem quite so bleak. When she no longer appeared worried about her Parkinson’s diagnosis, the rest of her family – Baker’s husband and their four grown children – followed suit. “At first they were concerned, but they’ve gotten comfortable with it,” she said.
If you witnessed for yourself this 66-year-old grandmother lay 200 punches into a speedbag Muhammad Ali style, you wouldn’t be that concerned either. Cathie Baker is not messing around.
Kicking Parkinson’s (bleep!) through kickboxing
In 2015, the TV show “60 Minutes” aired an episode featuring correspondent Leslie Stahl, whose husband, Aaron Lathan, had Parkinson’s disease. The couple was taking a Rock Steady boxing class at a Brooklyn, New York, gym.
Baker, a retired legal secretary, caught that fateful episode and saw for herself the benefits of exercise for Parkinson’s disease.
“I already knew Brian Grant had it,” she said. “When my dad had Parkinson’s, we did one of the Brian Grant fundraisers. So, I contacted the organization. The gal who called me back told me they were setting up an exercise program,” she said. Shortly after that call, she started a boxing program.
To this day, boxing remains one of Baker’s favorite ways to exercise. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I do my boxing at home now.”
“Everyone I’ve met in the Parkinson’s community has been really great. That was something I wasn’t expecting at all—the friendships I’ve made.”
Baker used to do 50 jump ropes at a time, but when one of her Rock Steady boxing buddies challenged her to do more, the competition was on.
“He and I are the same age, and he’s further along with the disease,” she said. “He was doing at least 100 jump ropes. Now I try to do 200 jump ropes. I did get up to 400 one time, but that was a one-shot deal.”
Did we mention that Cathie Baker is not messing around?
Exercise is the best medicine for Parkinson’s
Using exercise as a way to combat Parkinson’s disease resonated with Baker because she has always been physically active. “I played soccer as an adult. I did that until I was 55. I’ve always gone to the gym and worked out, so it wasn’t anything new. I just stepped it up,” she said.
Today, Baker takes fitness classes through Parkinson’s Resources of Oregon in Beaverton. “I do a balance and a gait class, and then I do bootcamp, which has some real intense exercises that push you. Plus, it helps you work on balance and cognition,” she said.
She finds big arm movements particularly challenging because her left arm doesn’t want to swing automatically anymore. “I have to make it do that. Those are the kind of exercises that are really good for you. They get old, but they are important. So, you keep doing them.”
In addition to her Parkinson’s-specific classes, Baker is very active at her gym in Scappoose where she takes strength training classes and yoga.
“There is one class that I call my ‘torture class’ because it is a lot of young people doing things like burpees, squats and some weights,” she said. “The instructor knows I have Parkinson’s and says, ‘Just do what you can do.’”
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, when Baker doesn’t have a scheduled fitness class, she works out at home with her punching bag, jump rope and hula hoop. “I do 100 hoops in each direction. I also jog a couple of times a week and go a couple of miles to make sure I do something every day,” she said.
Her best advice for other people living with Parkinson’s? “Keep moving. Don’t get discouraged. Even my neurologist said, ‘I can tell you’re getting worse, but it’s going so slowly that I’m convinced it’s your exercise.’”
In case you forgot, Cathie Baker is not messing around.
Kathryn Jones
BGF is teaming up with the Parkinson’s Fitness Project to bring you a move of the month in 2019.
In this video Nate Coomer tells us why practicing amplitude is important for people with Parkinson’s and shows us some easy exercises to increase your step with walking. Learn more about the Parkinson’s Fitness Project at www.theparkinsonsfitnessproject.com.
Somewhere, tucked deep in a vault that houses United Airlines’s membership rewards programs, sit 400,000 unused frequent flyer miles with my name on them. That’s the equivalent of 16 trips around the world. To earn the miles I endured a lot of bad food, crying babies and flight delays. Until recently I hadn’t flown since my Parkinson’s diagnosis two years ago.
I was afraid.
The thought of crowded jetways with lots of people lined up at the door produced anxiety. The narrow center aisle and prospect of lifting my bag to the overhead bin got me wondering, “What if my hands don’t work?” Tight seats and even tighter rows are not made for people who are unsteady.
My kids live in Seattle and I’m in San Francisco. Alaska Airlines tells me we’re a mere 678 miles apart. For those counting, that equates to a one-hour and thirty-nine minute flight.
As I thought about the trip, 678 miles might as well have been a puddle jump to Australia. For the first time in my life I was afraid to get on an airplane.
If I’m being completely honest, I was afraid that my bladder wouldn’t cooperate. These days when I get anxious my insides start to gurgle. When I’m on the ground, it’s pretty easy to manage this anxiety – I find a men’s room.
But in the air, once that fasten seatbelt sign lights up, you’re not going anywhere. I never had this problem prior to Parkinson’s, or maybe I did and I never paid much attention. Now my gastro problem rides shotgun everywhere I go.
For a flight that is less than two-hours long I thought that if my stomach was going to give me problems I’d be ok if it happened early in the flight. It would give me a chance to deal with things. Life has a way of not cooperating.
The anticipation of seeing the kids, the apprehension of trying to navigate Seattle, which is notorious for on-going road construction, sent my stomach into a tizzy – twenty-minutes before landing.
I asked the flight attendant if I could use the facilities. Nope, go to your seat and buckle up.
My options weren’t looking good and the more I worried, the more uncomfortable I became. I felt like an infant.
I decided that my best bet was to try Pilates breathing, which has been part of my Parkinson’s exercise program almost since the beginning.
I concentrated on taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly to bring my heart rate down. I elongated my spine as I inhaled and rolled it back as I exhaled.
This didn’t work at first but I kept telling myself to hang in there and work through the process. I had to convince myself to do something I’m not good at – trust it.
After about five or so minutes my heart rate came down and my body started to relax. I was in my Pilates zone and I knew I needed to stay there by continuing to breathe slowly and let the tension in my body go with each exhale.
It worked. After twenty very long minutes we were on the ground and my gastrointestinal distress was over. I felt good again. I never heard the wheels drop. I don’t remember the landing. I never heard the flight attendant welcome us to Seattle. I stayed in my zone.
Doctors, Parkinson’s experts and Brian promote the benefits of consistent exercise and encourage us to keep moving. I learned that sometimes exercise can also take place when you’re sitting still and the skills we learn can be implemented in a totally new way.
The kids and I had a great time. We had great food, walked in the cold and I introduced them to Queen when we saw Bohemian Rohapsody. For an entire weekend no pain, no stiffness and no gastro problems.
And that flight home? Let’s just say I didn’t have anyone riding shotgun with me.
Keep moving.
Kevin Woo is a freelance writer from San Francisco. You can read some of his other stories at www.kevinjwoo.com.
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What we know about the exact effect of exercise on Parkinson’s disease symptoms is still evolving. While it’s agreed that exercise benefits people with PD, researchers are still uncovering which type of exercise is good for what symptom and why.
This year brought us further in the field of PD and exercise research. Here’s a round-up of the 2018 exercise studies we thought were promising for people with Parkinson’s.
High-intensity cycling on a stationary bike improves functioning of arms, hands and fingers
A study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience followed 19 adults with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease symptoms. During that time, participants rode a stationary bicycle three times a week. The exercise sessions started at 20 minutes per day at 60% of maximum heart rate intensity. Every week. the researchers then increased the exercise sessions by five minutes and 5% heart rate intensity until participants reached 40 minutes of training daily at 80% intensity.
At the end of 12-weeks of high-intensity cycling, researchers found that participants had better motor control in their upper limbs as shown by their ability to draw lines on a screen using a computer stylus, more smoothly and efficiently.
Successful group fitness classes for people with PD have three things in common: support, variety and a sense of community
Researchers in a study in Complementary Therapies in Medicine interviewed 14 people with Parkinson’s who regularly attended the Fitness for Parkinson’s group class at Long Island University. Participants took part in a 45-minute focus group to give their perspective on the nature of the classes and the impact of attendance on their daily lives.
The study findings show that group exercise classes must incorporate certain features in order to be relevant for people with Parkinson’s. These include fostering a positive and nurturing environment for attendees, developing an exercise plan that is varied and tailored for the differing abilities of participants with PD, and emphasizing community. If these three factors are in place, people with PD are more likely to attend the classes long-term, according to the study.
Women with PD benefit from a different exercise regimen than men
In Frontiers for Physiology, researchers found that women with PD benefit from an exercise regimen tailored to them. According to the study authors, this is because PD symptoms affect women differently from men due in part to differing brain functioning and the action of certain hormones that are more prevalent in women, such as estrogen.
Current guidelines for both men and women with Parkinson’s generally recommend 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity, three to four days a week; resistance training of 1-3 sets of 8-12 reps, three to four days a week; and three days a week of stretching for up to 30 seconds a stretch.
Within the same categories of aerobic activity, resistance training and stretching, the study proposes new guidelines for frequency of exercise for women with PD. For aerobic activity, researchers suggest that women begin at 1-2 days a week and progress to four or more days. Resistance activity should begin at 1-2 days a week and progress to 2-3 days a week for women. Lastly, the study recommends that women do stretching to maintain flexibility anywhere from 3-5 days a week.
It can be easy to take the good things in life for granted.
Many of us don’t take the time to be thankful. But did you know practicing gratitude is good for your health?
Clinical trials have shown that practicing gratitude can lower blood pressure, improve immune function, and help you sleep better. Some studies have shown that stress hormones like cortisol are lower in grateful people. And practicing gratitude could actually reduce the effects of aging on the brain.
Here are four tips for making gratitude a part of your daily life:
1. Cherish your good fortune.
When was the last time you felt fortunate for basic things like food, clothing, and shelter? Reminding yourself that there are people less fortunate than you – some who are struggling to have even the basics in life – can help you feel satisfied with what you have.
2. Celebrate your successes.
Go ahead, you’ve earned it! Take a moment every week to think about your successes and achievements. Feel grateful for the opportunities you’ve encountered along the way. Remind yourself of some of the harder times in your life to help you realize how fortunate you are today.
3. Keep a gratitude journal.
Don’t just do this is your head – actually write down five things you are grateful for, no matter how large or small. Start by writing in your journal once a week, and work your way up to three times a week. As you write, remember the person, experience, or thing you’re grateful for and feel the joy that comes with it.
4. Be grateful for your health.
It can be hard to feel grateful for your health when you’re living with a chronic illness. But focusing on the good aspects of your health can have positive effects on your mind and body. And remember, you’re safe and supported!
