Pennsylvania Parkinson's patients reach new heights in special rock climbing classes
Gravity Vault in Montgomery County is giving Parkinson's patients strength, motivation and a sense of belonging to a special group of individuals that meet every Wednesday.
Jay Lehman has trouble walking, and Parkinson's disease causes him to occasionally freeze and tremble.
"I'm at stage four, so I have a lot of symptoms," he said.
Lehman was diagnosed with the brain disorder that affects movement when he was 36.
While he has trouble walking and controlling his movements, he has no trouble rock climbing here at Gravity Vault in Radnor.
"And yeah, I have a little fear of heights, so I don't look down," Lehman said.
He's part of a group called "Up ENDing Parkinsons."
They climb these walls every Wednesday.
"It gives me a feeling like I'm using my mind to see where I have to grab the next rock," Lehman said. "I'm using my muscles in every part of my legs, my arms, everything. It's really something that I haven't had the ability to do for years."
Doctors say exercises with hand-eye coordination stimulate parts of the brain that can be helpful to Parkinson's patients.
"We're probably promoting neuronal health in some ways, and using programs that have kind of maybe have been dormant for many," Dr. Tsao-Wei Liang, the Movement Disorders Division Chief at Jefferson Health, said.
These classes start with stretching with special attention to individual needs.
Gravity Vault employee, Dani Garr, organizes the Parkinson's climbs.
"It's absolutely inspirational to see them conquer their fears, push past their limits, challenge themselves in ways that they didn't think they could before," Garr said.
Renee Grieco, who's had Parkinson's for 16 years, says these get-togethers help her physically, mentally and emotionally.
"There's no judgment here; everyone has the same situation," Grieco said. "It's positivity, it's just, it's a wonderful group. It's the best therapy ever."
Climbing to new heights for some temporary freedom from the constraints of Parkinson's.