Inspiring Stories – Joe
27th October 2022
Joe joined the online Bounce Back Classes back in January 2021 and started one to one sessions in July 2022. During his one-to-one sessions we focus on exercises specific to his goals including agility and stamina for football and exercises to improve his balance and mobility. 
Joe is an absolute pleasure to train and his determination and commitment to exercise is truly inspiring. It has been great to see the progress he has made with his strength, fitness and mobility and fantastic to see the way he supports and encourages the rest of the Parkinson’s community with his positive attitude and brilliant twitter videos! If you haven’t seen them, I recommend giving Joe a follow on Twitter!
Earlier in October, Joe undertook the extraordinary challenge of completing the 2022 London Marathon… WHILE doing keepy uppies with a football! This was a phenomenal achievement and a privilege to be able to walk with him at the end. If you would like to read more about this challenge or support him, you can visit his fundraising page here.
More recently I joined Joe and the his Parkinson’s football team, Fighting Fit Football for a training session at the Watford Football training ground where I got to see Joe in his element. Joe has recently been selected for the Parkinson’s England football squad and after seeing his impressive ball control and skills on the football pitch I can completely see why. 
I am delighted to be able to celebrate Joe’s achievements by making him our October Member of the Month and I look forward to seeing the next challenge he sets his mind to.
Joe’s Story
“I’m Joe, almost 64 years old, and diagnosed with Parkinson’s in April 2019. As a previously keen sportsperson and keep fit enthusiast, I was so happy to learn that exercise, movement, and keeping as fit and active as possible is indeed recommended as a way to combatting Parkinson’s symptoms. 
I have been attending Bounce Back Exercise’s online classes for 2-3 years, and absolutely love them, particularly to do balance, posture and stretching exercises which I’d never done before.
Furthermore, I have recently commenced attending Beth’s face-to-face group and personal one-to-one sessions at Croxley Green, and really love both sessions (and the other group members I have met there).
After diagnosis, I was happy to look at what was possible to do rather than what may be difficult to do. And in the last three years I have juggled a football 13,410 times in one go without dropping it (continuous keepy-uppies for over two hours), walked from my home in Reading to East London juggling a football all the way, walked the London Marathon in October (juggling a football), been selected for the first ever England Parkinson’s Walking Football team, played three times in the Ray Kennedy Cup tournament in Copenhagen, cycled seven hours for sponsorship in Denmark too, completed a couple of Tough Mudders with my son, trained every week for Fighting Fit Football club at Watford FC training ground, and as well as Beth’s classes, I have now started attending my local gym once a week. Oh yes, I’ve also now started playing walking football for a local non-Parkinson’s team too, so I’ve moved from just Parkinson’s related sport and exercise to local mainstream groups too..” 
Although I fully accept exercise will not cure or even diminish the Parkinson’s condition itself, it does have a very positive effect upon the symptoms, and very most definitely I FEEL better and happier now than ever before (even than before Parkinson’s).
I wholeheartedly endorse and support the very lovely Beth in her exercise instruction and support for people with Parkinson’s and similar conditions.
