He was swinging a kettlebell on the second floor of 24 Hour Fitness. Everything seemed normal as he went through each motion. But as soon as he set the weight down, his left arm began to jerk, and his head went back and forth.
I’m not a doctor, but it looked to me as if he might be a fellow Person With Parkinson’s. His motions seemed, to my un-medically-trained eye, like dyskinesia — a common Parkinson’s medication side effect.
Between sets of my own workout, I considered walking over and introducing myself. I ran possible scenarios in my head.
“Parkinson’s?” I’d ask as I stuck out my hand.
Scenario A: “Yep,” he’d reply.
We’d compare notes on diagnoses, medications, exercise regimes, and hassles. We’d discover that we’re both fans of the Johnny & the Distractions.
Maybe he’d subscribe to my blog.
Scenario B: He had Parkinson’s but didn’t wish to discuss it. He was hoping nobody noticed the dyskinesia. Being approached by a stranger in a gym was uncomfortable and embarrassing.
Scenario C: He had a completely different condition and didn’t want to talk about it.
In Scenarios B and C, we’d stare at our feet and awkwardly mumble apologies to each other until I excuse myself, walk to the parking garage and drive away from 24 Hour Fitness, never to return.
Had the two of us encountered each other at Rebel Fit Club, my Parkinson’s-specific gym, the decision would have been easy. While the details may be different for each of us, we’re all in the same general boat. Talking about it is what we do.
It was tougher in a “general public” gym — too much uncertainty. I didn’t know what was causing his motions. Or how much he knew about what he had. Or how he felt about it.
In the end, I left him alone. Two weeks later, I’m still troubled about it.
Maybe I was appropriately sensitive to a guy who was just trying to get his workout in without attracting attention.
Or maybe I’d had a chance to establish a genuine connection with someone who could use support…and I blew it.
What would you have done?
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Bonus for Those Who Read to the Bottom
Balance issues are among the most common problems associated with Parkinson’s. I attend a tai chi class twice a week to work on my balance, and it’s a subject addressed frequently in my boxing classes.
Falls have not been a problem for me so far, and I feel pretty good about my balance. But I can’t compete with Henry “Crip” Heard.
Heard was a vaudeville dancer in the 1940’s and 1950’s. He lost one arm and one leg as a young adult when a train hit the car he was riding in. The performance you see below, from the 1949 film “Boarding House Blues,” starts out as if it might be a joke. Then it turns into a remarkable display of grace, leg strength, and proprioception.
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A lot of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne covers came my way after Ozzy’s death a few weeks ago. This one is particularly good.
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Whenever I hear the Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” I think of this.
Shakin' Street -- A Parkinson's Blog 
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