Saying ‘yes’ launched nationwide rock-climbing program for Parkinson’s patients

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Aging Untold) — A retired physician diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 20 years ago struggled to find a climbing gym that would let him participate. One gym said yes. That single decision helped launch a nonprofit now serving more than 1,300 climbers across the country.

Jonathan Lessin, who has Parkinson’s disease, said climbing gives him something the disease often takes away.

“I don’t really understand how it can make you feel so good. When you have Parkinson’s, your world becomes smaller and you make smaller movements,” Lessin said. “When you get on the wall, you can just stretch out and get to the top. You feel fantastic.”

From two climbers to 72 locations

Molly Donelan-Cupka of Up Ending Parkinson’s was the director of Sport Rock climbing centers in Alexandria when Lessin called after a string of rejections from other gyms. She said yes and began climbing with him twice a week.

“Gosh, it’s crazy to me that people said no to him,” Donelan-Cupka said.

The two climbers became five, then six — what the group called the “Fidgety Five” and the “Shaky Six” — and then the numbers kept growing.

Donelan-Cupka turned the program into a nonprofit, Up Ending Parkinson’s, which now operates at 72 locations nationwide. Membership grew from roughly 400 climbers to more than 1,300 in one year alone.

Why climbing targets Parkinson’s symptoms

Doctors often prescribe exercise for Parkinson’s patients.

Lessin said climbing stretches him out and requires cognitive work.

“It’s kind of cool because you’re on the wall and you need to figure out a puzzle,” he said.

Donelan-Cupka said she felt like she had to do something when she saw how much it helped people and realized that there was nothing out there like it.

“Seeing how much it helped people, and then learning why it was helping them and making that make sense, and then realizing there’s not anything out there like that, I felt like I had to do something about it,” she said.

Lessin said the program’s appeal goes beyond the physical benefits.

“I found the one yes,” Lessin said. “All we need is one yes.”