Brad Perry visited Urban Air Adventure Park with family and realized it was the perfect place for people who suffer from Parkinson's to be active.
MERIDIAN - When you hear about indoor adventure parks with trampolines, obstacle courses and climbing walls you probably think of it as a place for a kid's birthday party.
But a local man who has Parkinson's saw it as a place to help others with the disease.
About 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease each year, according to the Parkinson's Foundation.
Brad Perry was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago at the age of 33. He's now the Idaho Liaison for the Northwest Parkinson's Foundation (NWPF).
"I told my self right then and there that I'm not going to let this disease beat me," he said. "I want to be active. I want to do anything I can. For the most part, I do it for my kids."
Parkinson's is a progressive and incurable neurological condition in which the brain stops producing dopamine, a chemical that regulates movement and moods. The lack of it can cause things like tremors, stiffness and balance issues.While there's no cure, things like exercise help manage it.
"If you do exercise, even if it's just going out and having fun at a place like this, it triggers our brain to use our dopamine a little bit better," Perry said.
One day, Perry came to Urban Air Adventure Park with family and realized this was the perfect place to be active.
"By the time I was done playing around I wasn't shaking, twitching and I was actually walking normal again," he said. "I was like 'Hey, if I could get some more people out here they would just absolutely love it.' it's a great alternative to normal exercising and plus you get to feel like being a kid again and who doesn't love that?"
So he put together an event and got the NWPF to team up with Urban Air to encourage people with Parkinson's in the Treasure Valley to come out for the day for exercise and to see they aren't alone.
"In life we all take for granted some of the things we have," said Suraj Jagannathan, owner of Urban Air. "But when there's awareness in what you have and what you can do, it makes you feel great and think about what more can you do for other people."
"There are others out there," Perry said. "Embrace it and you'll live a lot longer healthier life and a happier life."
This is a free event for people with Parkinson's, their families and caretakers.
Jagannathan said he wants to hold more of these events at his business in the future and will continue to work with the NWPF to do that.
See video:
http://www.krem.com/news/meridian-adventure-park-hosts-special-events-for-parkinsons-patients/523396966
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