P-town for Parkinson's

Overview -
Liam Reynolds and I, Luke Enright,  are setting out on a 230-mile bike ride, totaling around 16 hours, from Westhampton, MA to Provincetown (P-town), MA. The plan is to ride on a day between the dates July 13th and 18th, a date will be finalized when we can see a preliminary weather report. We chose cycling because we both share a love for the sport, we chose to raise money for DopaFit because Parkinson's disease is apparent in both of our lives. DopaFit is a non-profit, Parkinson's movement gym based in Southampton, MA. Please see below to read more on how Parkinson's disease affects our lives, Liams Grandfathers (Norm Reynolds) life, as well as more about DopaFit and what Parkinson's disease is from DopaFits founder, Chad Moir.


DopaFit (From Chad Moir/ Founder)- 
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects body movements due to a lack of dopamine in the brain. Symptoms such as loss of movement, tremors, rigidity, depression, anxiety, micrographia, generally develop slowly over years. The progression of symptoms is often a bit different from one person to another due to the diversity of the disease. DopaFit, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people living with Parkinson’s disease fight back against their disease. DopaFit, offers non-contact boxing workouts, exercise classes, cognitive therapies, art programs, yoga, drumming, voice exercises, and support group meetings for those living with Parkinson’s disease and their care partners. DopaFit offers these services at their locations in Southampton, MA, and Worcester, MA. They also offer all their services online and internationally to reach as many people as possible living with Parkinson’s disease.


Norm Reynolds (Liam Grandfather) -
Parkinson’s Disease has affected my life because it is a movement disorder and by affecting my motor muscles it causes limb stiffness, slow movement, and resting tremors. These symptoms of the disease affect my ability to skate and walk with a normal gait, but by diligently participating in the exercise routine at DopaFit  I have been able to slow the advancement of the disease.

The exercises that I do at Dopafit include: boxing, working with weights, skipping rope, squats, and pushups.  Boxing improves my hand-eye coordination, strength, helps with my ability to land on both feet and step over things. The punching helps steady my hand tremor and the stretching improves my stiffness. Pushups build my upper arm and body strength which of course helps with all my activities in daily living. Jumping rope helps with my balance and overall coordination.

Doing these exercises with other people who are living with Parkinson’s provides me with emotional support and friendships. Chad and Tricia do an excellent job of challenging me to push harder.

A membership in DopaFit also includes a support group, Yoga classes, and Art classes.


Liam -
Just this past winter, we were broke by the news that my grandfather had Parkinson’s disease. Although we had just found this out, the impacts of it had been visible for years through difficulty walking, skating, skiing, writing, and other activities. So, when Luke came to me and said “let’s do a ride for Parkinson’s,” I was all in. Watching how DopaFit has given my grandfather a steady place to be where he feels at home with everyone else there has been incredible and raising money for them will help to ensure that they do the same for many more people.


Luke - 
3 years ago, my Mom, Tricia, was told by a friend about a new trainer at a nearby gym. This is how she met Chad. It just so happened that Chad was looking for volunteers to help run DopaFit. From that day forward my Mom has dedicated countless hours to helping those who come to the gym. I have never felt the effect of Parkinson's disease in a family member of mine. Although, my Mom sees all of DopaFits members as family.  She's grown relationships with many if not all of the members, they love seeing her and she loves seeing all of them. After a few months, Chad hired my Mom as a full-time trainer.

My Mom had me help Chad with some minor projects, occasionally I would go into the gym and volunteer alongside my Mom. I developed a relationship with Chad, with this relationship he managed to convince me to ride in and raise money for the New England Parkinson's Ride. For me, it has always been amazing to see how happy my Mom is when spending time with everyone at DopaFit. Her dedication to DopaFit is remarkable.


Links - 
Link to route
DopaFit Website 


Where the money will go -
The money raised is for DopaFit. Although, a small amount will go towards our ride expenses.