In This Corner Cretaro completes the Parkinson's disease diagnostics test in Rochester. Conducted every six months, these tests are used to determine if the disease has progressed. The exam includes various movement and reaction tests. Karen takes a break in between her personal training exercises. She usually completes two-to-three personal training sessions that last about an hour. Each session is tailored to address any struggles that might stem from her Parkinson's Disease, which primarily revolve around balance. Rock Steady Boxing is a non-profit organization that helps Parkinson's disease patients "improve their quality of life through a non-contact boxing based fitness curriculum." Karen participates in four classes a week and feels like it is truly helping her deal with some of the effects of Parkinson's while slowing down its progression. The idea is that a Parkinson's patient has to continuously coordinate their movements. Karen completes an exercise during her Rock Steady Boxing session. Cretataro isn't a stranger to intense workouts. In her 40s, she earned a black belt in taekwando. Karen Cretaro usually takes care of her grandkids on Fridays. Here, she organizes her grandson's legos as he plays in the background. She says that completing tasks such as these, where she has to constantly think and use her hands to separate the pieces, is like physical therapy for her Parkinson's Disease. Cretaro's mother died when she was 14, so her daughters grew up without a grandmother figure in their lives. Cretaro cherishes her role and often takes care of her grandchildren Domnick and Eliana, on Fridays while her daughter is at work. "My son told me the other day, ‘Sometimes I am at school and the other kids mention their grandma and I get really sad,’” Lombardi said. “And I ask, 'Well why do you get sad? You see them constantly,' and he goes, 'Yeah, but they aren't at school with me.' That's how much my kids love my parents." Her husband, Mike, goes to every appointment. He often cooks her meals with ingredients that are supposed to aid symptoms associated with Parkinson's after he reads about the food's benefits online. Karen and Mike fill out paperwork before her biannual diagnosis test in Rochester, NY. Mike accompanies Karen to every appointment.
