CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Garry Ballenger has been the morning greeter at the Harris YMCA gym for about ten years. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 20 years ago, and he said the job keeps him moving.
- Ballenger has implants in his brain that use electricity to help stop his tremor, but even with them, his speech has slowed significantly, and his balance is always off
- He started a Parkinson’s support group at the Harris YMCA for others like himself to talk and learn
- Click here for more information about Parkinson’s support at the YMCA
Ballenger said, “It gets me up and out in the world, and I get to talk to people. And I notice them when they’re here, and I noticed them when they’re not here.”
Ballenger has implants in his brain that use electricity to help stop his tremor, but even with them, his speech has slowed significantly, and his balance is always off. He started a Parkinson’s support group at the Harris YMCA for others like himself to talk and learn.
Steve Smith was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2013 and comes to the meeting each month with his wife.
Smith said, “Parkinson’s affects everything you do, every aspect of your life. She doesn’t have it, but she has to live with it.”
Ballenger’s wife, Kathryn, is also at every meeting. She and Garry went to High School together and lost touch until her sister invited him to her 50th birthday party. They got married less than two years later. She said, “We talked all night long, and that’s what this group likes to do is talk.”
The Parkinson’s support group meets the first Thursday of every month. Click here for more information about Parkinson’s support at the YMCA.
