INNISFAIL - Mayor Jim Romane's cellphone beeps. It's time for his medication.
"My granddaughter Dallas has set it up on my cellphone so I get four reminders in a day," he said.
The 72-year-old mayor takes eight pills a day. The primary one is Levacarb, a synthetic dopamine to treat Parkinson's disease. Romane learned in 2011, halfway through his first term as mayor, he had the incurable, debilitating disease, which has received widespread public attention over the past four decades through the trials and courage of Canadian actor Michael J. Fox and the late Muhammad Ali.
"I didn't even think anything of it," said Romane, who was referred to specialists at the University of Calgary. "I wasn't in there five minutes and she (doctor) did some tests and she said, 'You've got Parkinson's. You have the early symptoms.' It just about floored me."
Parkinson's affects the nerve cells in the brain that produce dopamine. The disease mainly affects the motor system. Symptoms include muscle rigidity, tremors, slowness of movement, and changes in speech and gait.
For Romane, the unsettling diagnosis was a key reason for his decision not to campaign for a second term in 2013.
"I didn't know where it was going to take me. There were times I felt crappy," said Romane. "I don't know what this Parkinson's was going to bring for me in the future."
Romane's Calgary neurologist said he had to stay active, and two years ago while attending a local support group he heard about a revolutionary way he could literally fight back. It was a new boxing program through the Dopamain Gym in Red Deer, the first of its kind in Alberta.
The Dopamain Gym program is led by coach Doug Rowe. Three other coaches, Robert Carswell, Roman Rzepkowski and Kim Pasula, complete the team that now leads 26 Parkinson's clients through the program, which is affiliated with the Red Deer Boxing Club, Red Deer Arashi-do Martial Arts and the Parkinson Association of Alberta. The program is billed as a safe, non-contact, modified Boxercise program for Parkinson's fighters. Club clients range in age from 52 to 81.
Sharron Matthewman, client services coordinator for the Red Deer office of he Parkinson Association of Alberta, said the program's success comes down to the fighters and their coaches. She said the coaches' overall desire is to improve the quality of life for the person with Parkinson's disease through exercise, which focuses on a full body work out that incorporates balance, agility and coordination.
"Generally I see better gaits, stamina, balance, core strength, and ability to get up and down off a floor and chairs. Individually we have had some really spectacular stuff happen," said Rowe, noting one client can now taste food again, while others can return to the dance floor. "It's really improved their quality of life."
Romane signed up eight months after the program began in 2016, and his progress has been the "spectacular" Rowe is talking about.
"You could see he (Romane) is a very determined individual, and you could see his progress right away. He started smiling, laughing and enjoying himself," said Rowe. "His core strength, balance and vitality improved.
"I have been working the pads with him. His energy level is good. His vitality is good. He's got good power and speed now and good snap on his punches," added Rowe, noting there's no head contact and participants don't go in the ring, but the program includes games that mimic ring activity. "I think we have helped improve his quality of life too."
Romane's dramatic overall improvement was instrumental in his decision to run for mayor again last year, which of course he won. And now that he's back in office he still goes to the gym two to three times a week.
"You can have a half-ass day, and I may not want to go in, but when I do go and when I am done I feel like a million bucks. It stimulates your whole body," said Romane, whose fellow Dopamain Gym members gave a demonstration at Red Deer College (RDC) on April 6.
Brandi Heather, a kinesiology instructor and coordinator for adaptive physical activity at RDC, said Dopamain Gym members left a lasting positive impression .
"It was a pretty overwhelming response from my students to see the difference that movement makes," said Heather. "It is making remarkable change. It's not just the physical part of it. In terms of social connection and support and cognitively, what it is doing, and in terms of reducing their Parkinson's symptoms, it is awesome."
And awesome is the way Romane feels today. He's eager to pass on his Parkinson's success story to anyone every chance he gets.
"You would not believe how many people have Parkinson's to varying degrees and levels. Some people will go for years and not have it treated," he said. "I am not ashamed of it. I don't try to hide it. I am hoping my story encourages others. Don't let it be a limiting factor of life."
Anyone interested in joining the Dopamain Gym program call Rowe at 403-506-1108, or visit the Dopamain Gym page on Facebook.
