Wednesday's Warriors: Paulie Ayala
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FORT WORTH (CBS11) - Paulie Ayala is a Fort Worth man making a big difference for people battling Parkinson's Disease.
He's not a doctor or a nurse, but knows a thing or two about fighting and winning.
He's a boxer. Twelve times he's knocked out his opponent. But now he spends time helping others knock out the symptoms of Parkinson's.
"I was a total klutz," said Mary Lieberman who was diagnosed in 2008. "I wasn't able to do anything and I've never been able to do anything and Parkinson's has not made me any more graceful than I was to begin with.
She drives 38 miles each way to punch away the debilitating symptoms of her disease.
The Punch Out Parkinson's class meets Mondays and Wednesdays at Pauli's Gym on Camp Bowie.
Ayala's students focus on a lot of the same work that helped Ayala become a world champion.
"We try to touch on a little bit of everything, as far as cadence, range of motion, core, hand eye coordination," said Ayala.
Lieberman said, "He's very encouraging. He never expects more than you can give but he expects 100 percent all the time."
