IMG Academy, Neuro Challenge Foundation host Parkinson’s wellness event focused on movement and brain health

BRADENTON, Fla. - A unique event at IMG Academy is helping people with Parkinson’s disease stay active while raising awareness about the importance of movement and community support.

What they're saying:

"It's very important that they receive the right kind of exercise every single day. And what I mean by that is specific exercises that actually cross the midline of the body," said April Moschini, program director for the Neuro Challenge Foundation.

It’s for PWP, short for people with Parkinson’s.

At IMG Academy in Bradenton, the Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s active minds and moving bodies event wanted to emphasize the importance of daily exercise.

At the event, the 22 PWPs learned the importance of daily exercise and the connection it has with the brain.

"Having that cross-body training for mind and body is really important because it's helping train their brains," said Kate Massey, executive director for the IMG Academy Foundation.

"It's helping to train their minds and just keeping it sharp, essentially, and it's extremely important for those with Parkinson's to keep their mind sharp, especially with what's going on in their bodies themselves," Massey added.

One participant, Carolina Murphy, has had Parkinson’s since 2015.

"They say movement is the best medicine you can have besides the pills that they give you," Murphy said.

"So I box three times a week and do circuit training, play tennis, I can still play tennis. I can also do the cycling program, which is really important, because anything that's repetitive motion is really important for us," Murphy added.

Student Ambassadors at IMG Academy

IMG Academy’s student ambassadors are leading the way with tennis, mind games and yoga.

"We're going to do some light activities, like card games... And then, I'll also be leading the yoga portion," said Arianna Arias, a junior at IMG Academy.

They're helping bring awareness to the second-most neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s.

"Neuro Challenge is a huge part of the partnership that was formed here with IMG. They offer us a bunch of resources, so the more people know about us, there's lots of people that get diagnosed every single day, and they don't know about the resources that Neuro Challenge has available for them. Connecting with community is really important for us," Murphy said.

"If you have Parkinson's, you have Parkinson’s, but Parkinson's doesn't have you," Murphey said. "So don't be afraid when you get the diagnosis, just get in touch with Neuro Challenge because they have a plethora of resources, and they'll connect you."