One ‘yes’ launched rock-climbing program for people with Parkinson’s

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Aging Untold) — A retired physician diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 20 years ago was turned away from gym after gym when he wanted to try rock climbing — until one said yes.

That single yes led to the creation of Up Ending Parkinson’s, a nonprofit that connects people with Parkinson’s disease to climbing programs designed to help them keep moving.

From rejection to the wall

Jonathan Lessin said the disease had already begun to shrink his world.

“When you have Parkinson’s, your world becomes smaller and you make smaller movements,” Lessin said.

After repeated rejections from climbing gyms, Lessin found Molly Donelan-Cupka, then the director of Sportrock Climbing Center in Alexandria, Virginia. She began climbing with him twice a week.

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

What climbing offers people with Parkinson’s disease

Katherine Ambrose, an Aging Untold expert, said climbing pushes the body to practice what Parkinson’s can take away: bigger movement, coordination, focus and trust.

“You can see that cognitively he’s being stimulated, and he’s having to think through and balance and really work his whole entire body — his core, his hands, his feet, everything. Just getting a tremendous workout," Ambrose said.

Ambrose also referenced a separate program called Rock Steady Boxing as an activity that has helped some Parkinson’s patients.

“And there’s something about the boxing and the movement that helps people stay steady on their feet longer,” Ambrose said.

One yes became a movement

Lessin said the acceptance he found became the foundation for something larger.

“I found that one yes,” Lessin said.

Up Ending Parkinson’s now works to connect people with Parkinson’s disease to climbing programs built around their needs.