My PD Story

Who I am and what I do.

Tiberio Roda, born in Lecco, Italy on 04-04-1955

Family

I have three brothers and three sisters and a 90 y.o. father. I am divorced and have a daughter 30 y.o. working in Milan in the fashion industry and a son 26 y.o. working in Dublin Ireland in the cartoon movies industry. I live with Paola that is my love, my caregiver and my Rock Steady Boxing Como Lake partner.

My PD history

In 2011, I was slow walking, my nose do not feel smells, when I roll by rollerblades I put my weight forward.

On May 2012, I fell down from the stairs, I was completely blue on my left side from my knee to my shoulder. I started my claudicatio.

On July 2013, my chiropractor set a meeting with a neurologist that diagnosed my PD. I told him "Doctor if this is a race I will win."

In September, I found Rock Steady Boxing (RSB) on the net, so in October I started to take boxing lessons in the the New Millennium gym in Pontelambro, Italy.

In December, my symptoms was improved, but my coach told me that he has no knowledge about PD, so I wrote to RSB in USA to know more.

In January 2014, I went to Indianapolis to became the first European coach of RSB, the Paola did the same on August becoming the first European RSB woman coach. In October, we started with our first PD pugilist.

In 2015, we inaugurated our gym in Longone al Segrino by Nino Benvenuti, olympic gold metal and three times World boxing champion. I knew Vincenzo Simone and Paola and me made the Etna Vulcan trek.

In 2016, we went back to New Millennium Gym, where we build a separate room with ring and tools for our PD pugilist. I started to be unable to jump rope. Then I went to the World Parkinson Congress in Portland as RSB Coach.

In 2017, I went to the Machu Picchu trek, the last of the 10 Mountain 10 Years program. In December, I had a rhinoplastic surgery to straight my internal nose.

In 2018, I started to fall often, losing my balance and started to stutter. I was in Philadelphia with Paola for the first Coach-Con.

In 2019, I made an LSVT course that seems to be ok on my voice and my stuttering. I went to Kyoto for the WPC. Then in June, I made the Magna via Francigena: 183 km in 9 days in Sicily. With Enzo Simone and Luke Chadwick Jones, that are making a movie on people with Alzheimer’s and PD.

I’ve been in the second Coach-Con right in early September in Phoenix, Arizona.

My passions were

Snow skiing from 14 to 24 years, then I become waterskier instructor, in 1980 I started flying with hang gliding with no engine up to 1995. Then from 1984 to 1990 I was the pilot of the waterski speed race boat that carrying my brother to win the Coppa Italia, the Italian Championship, the Giro del Lario.

My sports now

Kayaking, hiking, golfing, and no contact boxing by the Rock Steady Boxing protocol.

My problems now
A severe back pain on lumbar right side, slow walk (not more than 3km/hour), stutter, and balance.

To know more about me please follow:

https://swite.com/rocksteadyboxingcomolakeitaly
https://www.facebook.com/tiberio.roda
https://www.facebook.com/RSBComoLakeItaly/