U-Turn Parkinson’s hopes to expand to Brandon

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This article was published 29/07/2024 (582 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Manitoba’s Tim Hague was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, he said it forced him to do a U-turn in life. But it also inspired him to enter and win the Amazing Race Canada, which led to the creation of a charity and exercise facility to help others live their best lives.

Hague and 13 other riders are cycling 504 kilometres from Russell to Falcon Lake, hoping to raise awareness and money, with the long-range goal of offering wellness classes in Brandon for those with Parkinson’s.

“We would love to bring our services to Brandon, to Dauphin to anywhere who needs it, because there’s 7,000 people in the province who have Parkinson’s, and we know that what we do helps,” said Hague during a rest stop in the Wheat City on Sunday.

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder that causes uncontrollable and unintended movements such as shaking, stiffness, and for some people difficulty walking and talking. The chemical, dopamine, controls the body’s movement and when the cells that produce dopamine die, the symptoms of Parkinson’s appear. There is no known cure.

Now 55 years old, Hague was diagnosed with Parkinson’s when he was 44. That’s when he said he decided to meet “adversity head on”.

In 2013, Hague became the first person with Parkinson’s to run in and win The Amazing Race Canada, alongside his 23-year-old son, Tim Jr.

“Once we had a platform, and the Amazing Race certainly gave us that, we said we might as well use it to our advantage, right?” Hague said.

“Any Parkinson’s foundation out there you talk to will tell you that you need to be exercising, but nobody provides you the opportunity to do it.

“We want to provide the services that people need to exercise on a regular basis, day after day after day, and make a difference in their Parkinson’s,” he said.

“So, we thought initially that we’d start an exercise class or two in Winnipeg and see what happened when you exercised with a buddy. And that has grown to 11 classes a week in person and online. In Winnipeg, we have just shy of 500 people on our roster and we see about 125 of them every month.

“It’s been just phenomenal and everywhere we go people ask me if I can bring U-Turn to them,” Hague said.

U-Turn Parkinson’s is the name of the non-profit organization that Hague founded. U-turn is a term used in the Amazing Race.

“Oh yes, we stole the U-turn, absolutely,” Hague said as he laughed. “In the show the U-turn is used to slow another team down and or eliminate them from the race.

“We’ve always said we want to slow Parkinson’s down and/or eliminate it from life. So yeah, it might be a little cheesy, but it works,” he said.

Supporting Hague on his cycling tour is Winnipeg’s Kevin Donnelly. He is senior vice-president of venues and entertainment for True North Sports and Entertainment, the company that owns and operates Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg as well as the Winnipeg Jets.

Soon, the two will be in-laws. Hague’s daughter is marrying Donnelly’ s son.

“Tim is such a genuine guy,” said Donnelly. “He was explaining the benefits of exercise, and how beneficial cycling is as an exercise regimen for people with Parkinson’s.

“And knowing that I’m a cyclist by passion, and an organizer by career, he asked if we could put together a charity bike ride. When I asked some of my friends, everyone responded favourably, and we started getting yeses from corporate sponsors and partners.

“So, seeing the core group of people expand, seeing the meter go up on the fundraising and how many people are donating, it’s been really, really exciting,” Donnelly said.

The ride itself is called Team 81 Ride for Parkinson’s. Kyle Connor, a left-winger, wears number 81 for the Winnipeg Jets. He lost his father and grandfather to Parkinson’s and agreed to let his number represent the fundraiser.

So far, the cyclists have raised more than $110,000 that Hague said will be funneled through the U-Turn Parkinson’s head office to keep the exercise programs going in Winnipeg with hopes of expanding to Western Manitoba.

Once people register for classes they are assessed and then encouraged to attend classes that range from strength training, stretching, coordination, balance, and agility exercises to boxing movements that improve cardiovascular endurance and range of motion.

All classes are free and are conducted by instructors who are certified through the Manitoba Fitness Council said Lance Letain, executive director for the U-Turn Parkinson’s organization.

“One of the other really interesting classes we have is called U-Tunes, which is a singing program,” Letain said. “Because unfortunately, with the disease, you could lose muscle tone in your face. So, it looks like you have no emotion. But in the singing class, it forces you to use those muscles. So that is absolutely empowering,” he said.

There are two other cyclists in the ride besides Hague who have Parkinson’s. One of them is Liliane Kirouac Vilar, who is a member of U-Turn Parkinson’s and said she is benefiting from the boxing class.

“This fundraising event is a huge deal for us,” Kirouac Vilar said. “It’s incredible to have these people sacrificing their time to do this and to raise money and awareness for the Parkinson’s community.

“It’s so appreciated, this is very heartfelt. It’s beyond the moon,” she said as her voice broke with emotion.

As the riders put on their helmets and filled up their water bottles for the next phase of their ride, Hague admitted that it hasn’t been easy.

“This is the first time I’ve ever done something like this, but I’m doing it. It helps, it works,” he said.

“I guarantee when you exercise regularly you sleep better, your bowels work better, you feel better, and your emotions are better.

“I find my tremor is less, my rigidity is less, and my stiffness is less. Everything works better when I’m exercising more.

“And it’s all been for a good cause — advocacy for Parkinson’s. And we’ll do that all day every day.”

For more information about U-Turn Parkinson’s visit https://uturnparkinsons.org/.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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