TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WIVB) — On a recent Tuesday morning, Parkinson's boxing was on every corner in the town of Tonawanda.
That's saying something considering the building, which was expanded just this year, is five times the size of its previous location.
“You know, a few years ago, it was just me,” said Parkinson's Boxing founder Dean Eoannou. “And now he has 35 trainers and staff in North Town and South Town.”
Eo Annou's Parkinson's Boxing is a gym that helps people with the neurological disease avoid some of the disease's worst symptoms, and in some cases shows real improvement. News 4 first profiled this fast-growing business as it expanded into the town of Hamburg in 2022.
That's what brought former Buffalo state Rep. Jack Quinn to Dean about nine years ago, three years after his diagnosis. Quinn's older brother, Jeff, also has Parkinson's disease, but working with Dean has shown that his motor skills have improved in a short period of time.
Success in Parkinson's disease boxing is a double-edged sword. The need to expand at such a rapid pace makes the impact that Parkinson's disease and other neurological diseases are having on her WNY even more evident.
“The good news is that people with Parkinson's disease have a place to go,” Quinn said. “The bad news is, there's a place for people with Parkinson's disease to go. And it's packed. It's packed. It's absolutely packed.”
The constant flow of customers is part of what makes this location so effective, Quinn says. Collective challenges create friendships.
“It makes you feel like you're doing something about it,” Quinn said. “Sit in the corner and listen, I have Parkinson's disease, so it's not like I won't be able to do what I used to.'' Well, some people here will help you, so you can You can do what you did before.”
“We're not giving anyone false hope here, because that's just as bad,” Eoannou said. “If we do this here, we can buy an incredible amount of time.”
More time is something everyone wants, especially those whose lives are affected on a daily basis by a progressively worsening illness. Dean knows this fact deep down.
That's why, despite his age, he was determined to take a chance.
“I'm 70 years old and on paper this move doesn't make sense,” Eoannou said. “But I don't want this place to die with me. So I know now that this situation is going to continue.”
Dave Greber is an award-winning anchor and reporter who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. Learn more about his work here.
