Pipestone County Medical Center physical therapy assistant Kim Uilk works with a patient during a Rock Steady Boxing training session from earlier this year. The Rock Steady Boxing 5K fun run/walk will take place on Wednesday, June 10 at Paulsen Field in Pipestone. Contributed photo
Pipestone County Medical Center added Rock Steady Boxing as a feature of the physical therapy department in January 2024.
The program has positively impacted Parkinson’s Disease patients ever since.
There will be a benefit five-kilometer fun run and walk on Wednesday, June 10. Registration begins at 6 p.m., with the start one-half hour later at Paulsen Field.
(The physical address for Paulsen Field is 1401 7th Street SW in Pipestone.)
“It’s good exercise,” said patient Scott Quist, who also explained the program helps him “stay ahead of any problems.”
LeAnn Quist, Scott’s wife, said having Rock Steady Boxing at PCMC has been a matter of convenience. That’s because the Quists no longer need to visit Sioux Falls twice per week.
“It’s a blessing,” LeAnn Quist said. “We are so thankful to Avera physical therapy, and getting it started in Pipestone.
Scott Quist, who was diagnosed in 2020, said the workout sessions help keep him in shape, and also serves as a time of socialization with other patients in the same situation as him.
“Whether you run or walk, every step helps empower individuals to keep pushing forward,” PCMC officials stated on a flyer for the event. “Lace up and be part of something meaningful.”
The run/walk will serve as a time of purpose, strength, resilience and hope.
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that damages dopamine-producing neurons in the brain, per information gleaned at the Mayo Clinic’s website.
Dopamine is a necessary chemical messenger needed to coordinate smooth, controlled muscle movements, per information found at medlineplus.gov.
PCMC physical therapist Dr. Michaela Surat said, through proceeds from the run/walk, there will be the future purchase of a heavy punching bag. Surat said the purchase will need official approval.
Surat said there also are plans to go on a future rock climbing expedition in Sioux Falls.
Other equipment also has been purchased, including weights, medicine balls and a special device that helps create music, she said.
Surat said currently there are nine patients in two different sessions. These patients travel to Pipestone from Lake Benton, Lake Wilson, Tyler, Luverne and Ihlen.
“It’s great to see this continue to grow locally,” Surat said. “There’s no cure. It’s about managing symptoms. The best thing you can do is exercise.”
Surat was quick to point out that Rock Steady Boxing is not covered by insurance. Patients cover the cost (which was reported at $70 per month in a Pipestone County Star story from January 2024).
Donations also help run the program, which conducts sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays.
There are plenty of motor and non-motor symptoms: tremors usually at rest, stiffness or rigidity of the limbs, slowness, shuffling while walking and balance issues.
Non-motor symptoms are the following: loss of smell, sleep disorders, depression, anxiety and fatigue.
There is no single, specific diagnostic test for Parkinson’s Disease. A neurological examination and review of a patients’ medical history can help determine if you have the disease or not.
Department staff, including Kim Uilk and Surat, were sent to Indianapolis three years ago to become certified coaches in Rock Steady Boxing.
Initial donations were also made in memory of Charles Wallerich, a local community member who lived with the disease, per PCMC officials.
The Quist family reports it plans on operating a taco stand during the event.
For additional information, email Surat at: Michaela.Surat@pcmchealth.org.
What: Rock Steady Boxing
5K Fun Run and Walk
Who: Pipestone County
Medical Center is serving as
the event sponsor.
When: 6 p.m.
Wednesday, June 10
Where: Paulsen Field,
Pipestone
Cost: Registration is $25
per person.
Website: bit.ly/RockSteady5K
What’s it for?: Proceeds from
the event will benefit the Rock
Steady Boxing program at
PCMC, which is for
Parkinson’s Disease patients.