PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — April is Parkinson's awareness month. A time dedicated to raising awareness and supporting those who are impacted.
In Palm Beach Gardens, there's a boxing class dedicated to seniors who are battling the debilitating disease. It's instructed to help coordination, balance and confidence.
Age is but a number in the boxing class. Most of the folks throwing punches, ducking and weaving are 80 to 95 years old.
WATCH: Marty Weiss explains why the seniors 'love the class'
Marty Weiss is a regular. He uses the workout to help him with his Parkinson's disease. The diagnosis was made years ago.
"It hit me in the stomach, it was a tough blow," he said.
Soon after, he began working with boxing instructor Kendrick Miree at his home. When he moved to La Posada, a retirement community in Palm Beach Gardens, he and Miree worked to start a boxing class there. And the results, Weiss swears by.
"It gives me strength, endurance, balance, and confidence that I can do things," he said.
Miree is a former boxer and MMA fighter. His class is geared to those that have neurodisorders, like Parkinson's disease, or who suffered from a stroke.
"We still focus on the fundamentals of boxing, because boxing helps people with their coordination, their balance, their strength, their confidence," he said.
Over time, the numbers have grown for the Saturday class to where they average 15 to 20 people.
"They love it and we've been having our class grow bigger, bigger and bigger," Miree said.
Weiss said many folks in his class said boxing gives them an energy they wouldn't have otherwise.
"They love the class, they love the activity and they love Kendrick," he said.
