When Parkinson’s disease knocks people down, Nausheen Quraishy helps them fight back — one punch at a time.
Quraishy leads Rock Steady Boxing classes at Wellstar Health Place in Marietta. The program offers more than just physical exercise. It gives participants a lifeline, blending movement, laughter and community to help people with Parkinson’s reclaim strength and hope amid the challenges.
“I let those who have lost their belief borrow mine until they find theirs,” said Quraishy, whose own health crisis has shaped her compassionate teaching style.
Her journey from relearning to walk after a ruptured brain AVM to becoming an inspiring coach now draws students and smiles.
Some students in her classes call her humorous names: “Nausheen, the machine” and “Nausheen, the machine, the dopamine queen.” Laughter is a big part of her classes, as are singing, dancing and hugs.
Credit: Phil Skinner
Credit: Phil Skinner
Students in her classes never really throw a punch or get in a boxing ring. But they are battling an enemy: Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder caused when the chemical dopamine drops to low levels in the part of the brain that controls movement.
Dr. Jack Shen, a movement disorders neurologist with Wellstar Health System, said research shows that exercise improves the release of dopamine in the brain and that aerobic activities improve cognitive function.
Parkinson’s patients also say the program gives them a sense of community, a chance to be with others going through the same decline.
The classes are open to people with a doctor’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s. Insurance does not cover membership, but some insurers reimburse class participants on a case-by-case basis.
Quraishy knows the classes have improved the quality of her life after her own health crisis. She developed bleeding in the brain almost 20 years ago from a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM), an abnormal connection between arteries and veins. She had to learn to walk again, and her memory still has gaps. As she struggled to regain her life, she joined a gym and was later encouraged to become a certified teacher, which she did.
Quraishy said she was “humbled and overwhelmed” by the public’s response to a recent AJC’s Inspire Atlanta article about her classes. Some readers signed up on the spot and are now class regulars. Others said they were reaching out to friends and relatives to suggest it as a possible lifeline.
One man came in with his daughter and was hesitant at first about trying the class. His daughter gave him a hand, Quraishy said. Once the class got moving, a smile came over the man’s face. Quraishey asked how he felt. “Great, energized, and ready,” punctuated his response.
In the cooldown after their workout, Quraishey typically plays a song. “They laugh when I sing,” she said. Seeing the man energized and his daughter happily helping him, she put on “The Wonder of You” by Elvis.
The man looked at his daughter in what Quraishey described as “a magical moment. I get goose bumps just thinking about it,” she said.
HOW TO HELP
To learn more about the Rock Study Boxing program at Wellstar Health Place or other locations around the state, visit wellstarfitness.org.
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