MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Parkinson’s Disease affects approximately 500,000 Americans.

It’s the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder in the nation, behind Alzheimer’s.

It significantly affects motor function, but a Manatee County company has developed a program to train patients on how to regain strength.

Jennifer Hedgepeth is one of the owners of FITE For Your Write and knows how beneficial their program is for other people. 

“It’s a resource to have for the Parkinson’s and the neuro community, stroke, patients, people with essential tremors," Hedgepeth said. "Just to have another resource out there if they’re struggling with their handwriting. Any kind of difficulty with their fine motor coordination skills to get back their independence through handwriting." 

Often, the more you practice, the better you get.

In this case, James Hogan is doing exercises to help with his handwriting.

“Since I got Parkinson’s, I don’t write as much,” said Hogan, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2022, when he was 74. “Shaking. My hands shaking like this.”

As time went on, his daily tasks became more difficult, to the point where James could no longer write his name.

“My wife couldn’t make out what I was writing," he said. "It would curve down in tiny little letters."

But that changed when Alicia Artz came into the picture. 

“You’re going to take the dry erase marker and trace the shapes,” she said.

Artz co-founded a company in February called “FITE for Your Write.”

FITE stands for Functional Independence Through Exercise. The company offers classes to help people who have Parkinson’s regain their strength to write again.

“When he first started, he was really only using just his fingers, and now he’s using his whole wrist when he’s writing. So I can tell that. You can tell. You’ve been practicing, Jim. You’ve done a good job,” she said.

She has worked with Parkinson’s patients for about 10 years, including in her job at Blake Hospital running the Parkinson’s support group. She also uses her background in physical therapy.

“This helps work the fine motor skills and the intrinsic muscles in your hand, which is very important for when you do any type of handwriting,” Artz said.

Hogan takes Artz’s classes once a month but also practices at home. Now he’s achieved something special, writing his name.

“It feels better," said Hogan, who despite facing many challenges, is regaining some strength.

There will be an “Intro to Micrographia” event on May 28 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Westminster Communities in Bradenton.