How Muay Thai is helping Parkinson’s patients stand up to the disease
- At the KF1 Gym in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district, a unique initiative has seen a group of Parkinson’s patients take up the Thai martial art
- Led by former top-level fighters, the sessions focus on four things Parkinson’s sufferers often lose: confidence, balance, fitness and spirit
Michael Leung wasn’t sure what to make of the offer he was given to take part in today’s Muay Thai training session.
Aged 49, he has spent the past 12 months coming to terms with being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. His body is still adapting to the doses of medicine he now needs to take daily, as well as the after-effects, while his mind is focusing on the fight ahead.
But after some urging from friends, Leung decided to see what this ancient Thai martial art was all about and, more importantly, what it might do for him. The results – judging by the sweat that stains his shirt and the smile on his face – have been all positive.
“I’ve enjoyed this very much – it’s great,” Leung says. “I feel confident, and it helped my co-ordination because I am usually stiff. But right now, after punching, I feel great. I really like it. I really like this feeling.”
Leung is not his real name. Like many Parkinson’s patients, he is wary of word getting out because of the stigma that surrounds the illness. He is a schoolteacher.