AN ICONIC British pop band has been forced to scrap an upcoming performance amid one member’s battle with a mystery illness.
The Year 3000 hitmakers were due to take to the stage in Bradford for the Radio 1 Anthems show in the Yorkshire city.
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An iconic Brit band have pulled out of a Radio 1 eventCredit: BBCBusted will no longer perform at the Radio 1 Anthems event in Bradford next monthCredit: GettyIt comes as founding member James Bourne battles a mystery illnessCredit: Getty
Yet even though the gig isn’t until next month, Busted have revealed they’ve pulled out already.
On a message posted to Busted’s official Instagram page, the band wrote: “We are sorry to say that we will no longer be performing at Radio 1’s Anthems Live in Bradford on November 15.
“James’ health is our priority and having discussed as a band we agree it wouldn’t feel right to do this without him.
The current run of live shows will wrap at the Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham on November 8.
In his statement, James cited health problems and said he “hoped to come back further down the line”.
He wrote: “The VS tour kicks off tomorrow night in Birmingham and as excited as I’ve been all year for this tour to begin, I’m really sorry to say that over the last 8 days it has become clear that I am not in good enough health to play these shows,”
Although he didn’t disclose what the health issue is, James said: “There’s a lot of information I still don’t have about my condition but my bandmates, management and I are unanimous in deciding that I should focus on medical stuff for now.
“I really hope I can be in a position to come back further down the line.
“It’s still going to be an amazing show and I will miss being there!”
Busted released a statement saying it ‘wouldn’t feel right’ to perform at the gig without JamesCredit: RexBusted are currently on the McBusted UK tour with McFlyCredit: handoutMatt Willis, right, previously told how his bandmate was ‘really f**king sick’Credit: Getty – Contributor
Brian Setzer was on tour with the Stray Cats last year when he noticed the earliest signs of what was eventually diagnosed as an autoimmune disorder.
Now, it seems that disorder may be keeping Setzer off the road.
The Stray Cats said Tuesday they would be canceling their fall U.S. tour as Setzer, 66, battled a “serious illness.” The announcement comes months after Setzer’s diagnosis, although it’s not yet clear if this is a separate health issue.
“I know this affects so many people and I am devastated to have to deliver this news,” Setzer wrote Tuesday on X. “I’ve been trying everything I can to go on and do these shows, but it is just not possible.
“I’ve been looking forward so much to being on stage with my band mates again,” he said, “and playing for all of our amazing fans, and I’m gutted.”
The Stray Cats initially canceled the first two stops on their fall run, in Mount Pleasant, Mich., and Rockford, Ill., before scrapping the whole tour Tuesday. The band said refunds would be available at the point of purchase and did not announce any future tour dates.
Setzer first shared details about his unspecified autoimmune disease in February, writing on social media that, although the illness was not painful, it rendered him unable to play guitar.
“It feels like I am wearing a pair of gloves when I try to play,” he wrote, adding that the disease had for a time hindered his ability to accomplish everyday tasks like tying his shoes.
The artist said that he had been improving as he received care at “the best hospital in the world down the block from me,” the Mayo Clinic.
“I know I will beat this, it will just take some time,” he said. “I love you all.”
The Stray Cats, formed by Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom in 1979, have dissolved and re-formed several times over the decades. In 2019, the founding trio reunited to release a 40th anniversary album, aptly dubbed “40,” their first album in a quarter of a century.
On Friday, the band rolled out its first release since then. The pair of singles, consisting of original song “Stampede” and a cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven,” were described on the band’s website as “loud, upbeat, and unmistakably The Stray Cats.”
“Jim and I cut both songs in Minneapolis at Terrarium Studios,” Setzer said in a statement posted to the site. “‘Stampede’ was an instrumental that I wrote lyrics for. I basically copied the guitar part, which was pretty ahead of its time to begin with, and ‘Teenage Heaven’ is one of the few Eddie Cochran songs that has not been covered to death.”
Rocker said “‘Stampede’ has the drive and intensity that brings me back to our first album,” and “‘Teenage Heaven’ is a classic Eddie Cochran song that we put our [Stray] Cats magic on.”
“The Cats are back and better than ever,” the bassist said.
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
Contestants that missed out on the chance to audition for Britain’s Got Talent over the past week may soon have their moment on the stage as bosses are planning to film the lost episode
Plans are in motion to film missing Britain’s Got Talent scenes after Simon Cowell was forced to drop out(Image: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)
Britain’s Got Talent has been thrown into chaos after show boss Simon Cowell suffered an injury – with a scramble now on to make up for lost time. The long-running ITV reality show is currently filming the 19th season – having launched all the way back in 2007.
But the latest season got off to a bad start over the past week – as auditions planned for Thursday had to be abandoned after Simon, 65, suffered a bash to the head. Hopefuls that were expecting to be judged in Birmingham were left disappointed when an entire day of filming was scrapped.
And now show bosses are scrambling to recover the episode so that the auditionees can have their moment on the stage. The process is said to be a strain due to the last minute nature of organising filming that would normally take weeks of planning.
A source told The Sun: “It looks like they will hold the supplementary session on Friday, then continue with the scheduled days of auditions continuing for a further week. They feel so bad for all the people left disappointed by what happened last week and want to do what they can to make things right – even though it’s going to take a lot of last-minute organising.”
The Mirror has contacted representatives of Britain’s Got Talent for comment. The update comes days after Simon was spotted with a graze on his forehead, and it was revealed he had injured himself. A source previously told The Sun: “Simon had a terrible headache and migraine – caused by an accidental bump on the head.
“He’s fighting fit now, though – and was revelling in being in Birmingham and back in his judge seat.” The Mirror has contacted Simon’s spokesperson for comment.
The man himself has addressed the drama, sharing a video of himself on social media which made light of his injury. He declared in a video shared via Instagram: “It’s Simon, I’m alive and I’m in Birmingham, I just want to say thank you for all your get well messages.”
He then focused the camera on his grazed forehead, but then produced a happy smile. As he was forced to drop out of filming at the end of last week, former X Factor contestant Stacey Solomon was parachuted in to fill the vacant judges’ seat during auditions on Friday.
The mum-of-five, 35, took to her Instagram stories to post a picture of the iconic BGT stage with her name in lights on the iconic stage. Alongside the picture, Stacey wrote: “What in the alternative universe is going on. A dream.”
Simon has previously opened up about the debilitating migraines he occasionally suffers, which interfere with his work.
He previously explained that he often wears red-tinted glasses to help counter the effects of studio and stage lighting.
The star, who turns 66 on Tuesday, has suffered a string of injuries in recent years. In 2020, he broke his back after falling off an electric bike at his Los Angeles home – an accident that required surgery and months of recovery.
Cowell, who is engaged to Lauren Silverman and father to 11-year-old Eric, described the injury as a harsh reminder of his vulnerability at the time.
In 2017, he also suffered a serious head injury after falling down the stairs at his London residence. At the time, he said: “Sometimes we get a reminder that we’re not invincible, and this was certainly mine. It was a huge shock.
“They think I fainted because I had low blood pressure and so I have got to really take good care of myself to sort that out. After all I am a dad and have more responsibility than ever,” he told his fans at the time.
FORMER Sun journalist Tony Grassby died yesterday aged 69.
TG, as he was known to friends and colleagues, joined in 2000 and became a hugely talented and respected member of the production team.
He left The Sun in 2018 and retired to Croatia where he died in hospital after a brief illness.
TG was a dedicated supporter of Chelsea and Bristol City, and a huge heavy metal fan.
His career began in 1973 on a local paper in North Somerset
He also worked at Today, the Sunday Mirror and Daily Star.
Ex-colleagues paid tribute, describing TG as “one of life’s good guys”, “a joyful character who was never in a bad mood” and “a warm, caring fella who was also a brilliant journalist”.
He is survived by his five children, four grandchildren, ex-wife, three sisters and mother Mary.
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Former Sun journalist Tony Grassby died aged 69
The Sun’s legendary boxing writer Colin Hart passes aged 89
THE widow of an Olympic hero and schoolteacher has paid tribute to “a proud Yorkshireman” after his tragic death at the age of 80.
John Sherwood lived in Hillsborough and shot to fame in 1968 when he won the bronze medal in the hurdles at the Mexico Olympics in 1968.
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Both Sheila Sherwood and her husband John Sherwood won Olympic medalsCredit: Alamy
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John won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdlesCredit: Getty
He sadly passed away after a long illness at the palliative care unit at the Northern General Hospital on August 19.
His heartbroken wife, Sheila, who also won an Olympic medal in Mexico has paid tribute to her husband who she said always gave his best whatever he did.
She went on to say: “There were never any half measures. He would do things properly and that was why he had such a great sporting career and was such a good teacher.
“We were unique in 1968, a married couple who both won medals. We’d married six months before the games.
“We were amateurs and both worked full time asteachers. John was at Intake School in Doncaster at that time, I was at Myers Grove.
“After we won our Olympic medals we just carried on as normal.”
John’s wife Shiela has received dozens of messages of condolence from John’s former pupils at Forth Park Comprehensive, where he worked for 37 years.
John, who is survived by his two grown up children, retired from teaching in 2005.
He and his wife trained for the games together and both took home medals.
Sheila said: “We were unique in 1968, a married couple who both won medals. We’d married six months before the games.
“We were amateurs and both worked full time as teachers. John was at Intake School in Doncaster at that time, I was at Myers Grove.
“After we won our Olympic medals we just carried on as normal.”
She taught at Myers Grove School and the pair returned to their careers following their Olympic success.
Sheila added: “He loved teaching, and didn’t want to go into an office as a head of year. He wanted to stay as a PE teacher.”
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John and Sheila trained together for the gamesCredit: Getty
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John Sherwood shot to fame in 1968 when he won the bronze medal in the hurdles at the Mexico OlympicsJohn Sherwood
WASHINGTON — President Clinton on Tuesday rejected demands by veterans for an outside agency to take over the Defense Department’s investigation of Persian Gulf War illnesses, instead extending the life of a presidential advisory panel so it can keep watch over the Pentagon’s efforts.
Clinton also endorsed a proposal by Veterans Affairs Secretary Jesse Brown to allow Gulf War veterans more than two years to document their ailments and still qualify for access to VA disability benefits. Some veterans of the war have said that their symptoms did not show up until too late.
The compromise gestures came after the presidential advisory commission, which is made up of a dozen physicians and scientists, issued a report concluding that nerve gas exposure during the 1991 war was unlikely to have caused any of the ailments suffered by veterans.
Although the panel criticized the Pentagon for failing to take the issue seriously until recently, the report said that the Defense Department and the VA have provided good medical care to the veterans and now appear to be investigating the problem in earnest.
Neither the panel’s findings nor Clinton’s decision to ask the group to exercise “oversight” of the Pentagon’s efforts was a surprise. The committee, which studied the issue for 19 months, had signaled its conclusions in a draft report two months ago.
Clinton promised a veterans group Tuesday that, despite some shaky starts, “we will not stop until we have done all we can to care for our Gulf War veterans, to find out why they are sick and to help to make them healthy” again. “We are on the right track,” he asserted.
Nevertheless, Persian Gulf veterans’ organizations were critical of the report, dismissing it as incomplete and calling for another independent study of the issue, possibly by a special prosecutor equipped with subpoena powers.
“We are very disappointed,” said Chris Kornkven, spokesman for the National Gulf War Resource Center, a coalition of 24 veterans groups. He said that the panel had “done a great disservice to . . . veterans of the Gulf War . . . who claim they are sick.”
Separately, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) disclosed the results of a survey of about 2,000 Persian Gulf veterans in Iowa suggesting that they were as much as three times more likely to suffer one or more symptoms than service members who were not in the 1991 war.
However, outside analysts said that the study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was based on a telephone survey of veterans, without any opportunity for medical officials to confirm their illnesses.
The survey is to be included in a series of studies made public today by the Journal of the American Medical Assn. Officials said that the others, based on a mail survey of 240 naval reservists, would seek to link Gulf War illness to organophosphates exposure.
The advisory committee report did little to resolve the mystery surrounding Gulf War illness. In all, 60,000 of the 697,000 U.S. troops who served in the Gulf War have complained of symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue to muscle aches and memory loss.
The panel’s findings were in line with those of four previous studies of the Gulf War illnesses, by the Pentagon, the veterans’ department, the CDC and the prestigious U.S. Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences.
As has been the case in the other studies, Tuesday’s report concluded that, despite all the research, there is no current evidence that would link the symptoms to the contaminants encountered by soldiers during the U.S. intervention there.
It also discounted as unlikely claims by veterans who say that their ailments were caused by exposure to a variety of chemical contaminants, from oil well fires in Kuwait to pyridostigmine bromide pills, which were given to U.S. soldiers to protect them against chemical weapons.
However, the report urged the government to step up efforts to find out how many U.S. soldiers may have been exposed to nerve agents near Khamisiyah, where troops destroyed an Iraqi weapons bunker just after the war ended. The Pentagon is now investigating.
As it has throughout its 19-month investigation, the committee criticized the Pentagon’s initial handling of the Gulf War issue–particularly its refusal to investigate fully reports that U.S. troops may have been exposed to nerve agents at Khamisiyah.
The 174-page report said that the panel had found “substantial evidence” of low-level exposure to chemical warfare agents at several sites in Iraq and Kuwait and said that the Pentagon’s efforts to explain them so far had been “superficial” and “unlikely to provide credible answers.”
Nevertheless, Joyce C. Lashof, chairwoman of the panel, said that she had found “no evidence of a cover-up,” as many Gulf War veterans have alleged.
Andrew Benintendi had a double and a home run, Lenyn Sosa also homered among his two hits, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Angels 6-3 on Friday night.
White Sox starter Shane Smith gave up two runs and two hits while striking out four over 4⅓ innings in his first start since July 11 following a stint on the 15-day injured list. Jordan Leasure (4-6) earned the win in relief, striking out four in 1⅔ innings.
Benintendi and Sosa each hit solo home runs in the second inning off Angels starter Tyler Anderson (2-7), and Luis Robert Jr. had a sacrifice fly drove Miguel Vargas home in the fourth inning to make it 3-0.
Gustavo Campero‘s second home run of the year, a two-run blast to deep center field in the fifth, got the Angels within one, but Colson Montgomery answered with a deep homer of his own in the sixth inning.
Campero’s baserunning error prevented the game-tying run from scoring in the seventh, ending what was a bases-loaded, one-out threat for the Angels.
Logan O’Hoppe scored on Zach Neto‘s sacrifice fly to bring the Angels within one again, and Nolan Schanuel appeared to drive in Travis D’Arnaud with a two-out single, but Campero was thrown out at third prior to d’Arnaud crossing the plate.
Sosa had an RBI single in the eighth and Josh Rojas added a solo homer in the ninth.
Steven Wilson got the last six outs for his second save of the year for Chicago (41-69).
Mike Trout did not play for the Angels (53-57) because of illness.
Montgomery continued his second-half tear with a solo home run, which represented his 18th RBI since the All-Star break. He is now tied with Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber for the most RBIs since the break.
With Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase under investigation for baseball betting, fans that bet a combined $315,000 on him could be at risk of losing some or all of that investment.
Clase is the star attraction at Finlete, a San Diego company that offers fans the chance to invest in an athlete in exchange for a share of his future earnings.
The future earnings of Clase, 27, a three-time All-Star, could be influenced by Monday’s announcement that Major League Baseball had placed him on paid leave as part of what the league called a “sports betting investigation.” The sport in question is baseball, according to an official familiar with the probe but unauthorized to discuss it publicly.
In its offering statement, Finlete noted that Clase’s current contract extends through 2026 and guarantees him at least $13.3 million, if the Guardians decline a 2027 buyout. The Guardians hold an option for $10 million in 2027 and another for $10 million in 2028. Clase would be eligible for free agency if the Guardians decline either option, or after the option years have been exercised.
However, if the league determines Clase had bet on any baseball game in which his team participated, he could be declared permanently ineligible. If the league determines he had bet on any other baseball games, he could be banned for one year.
On July 14, Finlete announced on Instagram that it had raised more than $315,000 from “hundreds of investors in Emmanuel Clase’s career.”
In its offering, beyond the boilerplate warning that investors should not invest money they could not afford to lose, Finlete cited injuries, illnesses and work stoppages among risks that could derail payments to investors.
Finlete also warned that players “suspended or banned” from the league “would not receive amounts under their existing player contract and may not be able to secure future playing contracts.”
In his Clase sales pitch, Finlete co-founder Rob Connolly last year told Sportico: “Mariano Rivera was the best ever. And this guy’s in that conversation. So he’s got a full career in front of him. How the hell did we land this deal? It’s incredible.”
Finlete spelled that out in its offering: If you really want to make the big bucks as investors, Clase needs to sign a lucrative extension, or hit free agency and strike gold.
“The profitability of the Clase Agreement is substantially dependent on Mr. Clase entering into additional high-value MLB player contracts,” the offering read.
On its homepage, Finlete highlights seven baseball players with which it has agreements, Clase included. The other six are in the minor leagues.
Connolly did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
A “gastrointestinal illness outbreak” occurred on the Navigator of the Seas that traveled round-trip to Mexico from Los Angeles between July 4 and11. Photo courtesy of Royal Caribbean
July 18 (UPI) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has announced that an unknown illness sickened more than 100 people aboard a Royal Caribbean cruise ship earlier this month.
According to a press release from the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program, a “gastrointestinal illness outbreak” occurred on the Navigator of the Seas that traveled round-trip to Mexico from Los Angeles between July 4 and11.
Out of the 3,914 passengers, 134 reported being ill, as did seven crew members. The victims experienced symptoms that included abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, but the CDC reports that the “causative agent” has not been determined.
The ship’s crew took preemptive measures for passengers by isolating sick and then collected stool specimens from them for testing. Cleaning and disinfection procedures were also implemented and the CDC notified.
Statistics from the Vessel Sanitation Program show 18 bouts of gastrointestinal illness aboard cruise ships under the program’s authority in, which ties for the total amount in all of 2024.
There were only 14 in all of 2023, but a CDC spokesperson told USA Today in April that although “the number of recent cruise ship outbreaks has been higher than in years prior to the pandemic, we do not yet know if this represents a new trend.”
Mexican actor Manuel Masalva is on the road to recovery after contracting an aggressive bacterial infection in March that left him in a medically induced coma for weeks.
In his first social media post since the onset of his illness, the “Narcos: Mexico” actor updated his followers on his current health status via Instagram on Monday evening.
“I am healing. I want to profoundly thank you all for the support you have given me and continue to give me, in every sense, every one of you,” Masalva wrote. “This [process] has barely begun, there is much more left to go, but I feel blessed, strong, reborn and well-accompanied. … God has given me a new life.”
Masalva first felt the onset of an ailment when he arrived in Dubai in March, following a trip to the Philippines, revealing that he ended up spending 105 days in the Dubai hospital that first treated him for his prolonged illness.
The actor first arrived in the Middle East city on March 18, his manager Jaime Jaramillo Espinosa told The Times in April.
“[After] about two days in Dubai, Masalva began to feel internal discomfort and pain which increased by the day,” Jaramillo Espinosa said.
On March 26, Masalva underwent emergency surgery after doctors discovered the bacterial infection, which prevented him from traveling back to his home in Mexico. The following day, the infection reached his lungs and he had to be put into a medically induced coma.
Masalva thanked the Dubai hospital staff for their work and for the distinct culture that “overflowed with love and spirituality.”
“I don’t know if I really understand all of what’s going on or just a part of it, it’s been an eternity and there are still some parts missing, I just want to the strongest thanks that I can give to God, my family, my doctors and all those people that have supported me since the start of this process. I owe you all my life,” he wrote.
Masalva played the role of Ramón Arellano Félix in the Netflix drama series “Narcos: Mexico,” alongside Diego Luna, Bad Bunny and Scoot McNairy. He has also been featured on the telenovela “La Rosa de Guadalupe” and recently in the series “La Guzmán.”
They pull giant boxing gloves over aging, sometimes shaking hands.
They approach a black punching bag on weary, sometimes wobbly feet.
Then they wail.
Lord, do they wail.
They hit the bag with a left-handed jab, a right-handed reverse, a hook, another hook, an uppercut, another jab, bam, bam, bam.
They end the flurry with kicks, side kicks, thrust kicks, wild kicks, their legs suddenly strong and purposeful and fueled by a strength that once seemed impossible.
Outside of this small gym in a nondescript office park in Monrovia, they are elderly people dealing with the motion-melting nightmare that is Parkinson’s disease.
But inside the walls of Kaizen Martial Arts & Fitness, in a program known as Kaizen Kinetics, they are heavyweight champs.
Ranging in age from 50 to 90, spanning the spectrum of swift strides to wheelchairs, they are the most courageous athletes I’ve met.
They show up here every couple of days hoping that they’ll move enough to keep the evil Parky at bay. They’re trying to punch him out, kick him off, scare him away, and they’ll endure more than an hour of sometimes painful exercise to make this happen.
They are frail women screaming, “Jab!” and shaky men screaming, “Hook!” and everyone counting with clenched teeth through 75 minutes that stretch the shrinking muscles and test the weary optimism.
Bill Plaschke participates in a boxing class for people with Parkinson’s disease at Kaizen Martial Arts Studio.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
I am in awe of them, perhaps because I am one of them.
I, too, am living with Parkinson’s disease.
The irony, huh? I’ve spent my entire career writing triumphant stories about athletes overcoming illness and adversity, only to reach the home stretch struggling to find a similar triumph in a story about me.
It’s not easy. Now I know what all those subjects of all those feel-good stories understood about the truth behind my positive prose. Degenerative disease sucks beyond any inspirational adjective. Incurable illness stinks beyond any hopeful headline.
I’ve got Parkinson’s, and it hurts to even say it. I’m still mobile, still active, I don’t have the trademark tremors that distinguish the famously afflicted Michael J. Fox or the late Muhammad Ali but, damn it, I’ve got it.
I was diagnosed four years ago after complaining of weakness in my right arm. That weakness has disappeared, but it’s a constant struggle to keep everything else from slowly going to hell.
Every day it feels like I’ve just run a marathon. I move well, my balance is fine, but I’m always tight, always creaking. The amount of medication required to keep me active is so immense, my pills come in gallon jugs and I spend entire Dodger games trying to discreetly swallow them in the press box.
I move slower now. My fiancee Roxana qualifies for sainthood because whenever we go out, she must patiently wait for me to get dressed, which takes forever and is accompanied by the unholy sounds of struggle.
I don’t smile as much now. It’s harder to smile when afflicted with the trademark Parkinson’s masked face. When I FaceTime with my darling Daisy, I worry she won’t see past my dour expression and never know how much her granddaddy loves her.
Until now, my condition has only been known to my family. Not even my bosses knew. I didn’t look like Parky, I didn’t act like Parky, so why should I publicly reveal something so personal and embarrassing?
Yeah, I was embarrassed. I felt humiliated in a way that made no sense and total sense. To me, Parkinson’s implies frailty, Parkinson’s implies weakness.
But let me tell you, a 72-year-old woman pounding the living hell out of a punching bag ain’t weak.
And that’s why I’m writing about this today.
If my boxing classmates can have the strength to sweat through their tremors and wallop through their fears, then I can certainly have the strength to celebrate them without worrying what sort of light it casts on me.
I’m proud to be one of them, and the purpose of this column is to reflect that pride and perhaps make it easier for other folks afflicted with Parkinson’s to come out swinging.
Alan Shankin is assisted by Azusa Pacific University physical therapy student Desiree Alvarado as he participates in a boxing class for people with Parkinson’s disease at Kaizen Martial Arts Studio.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Officially, Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disease impacting both motor and non-motor systems. Translated, the brain slowly stops producing dopamine, which is crucial for movement, and the loss of this neuro-transmitter affects everything from your stride to your speech.
Roughly one million people in the United States have it, and there’s no cure for it, and it generally gets worse as one gets older. As Michael J. Fox himself once said, it’s the gift that keeps on taking.
You don’t die from it, but it can be hard to live with it, yet there is one thing that unquestionably helps slow its progression.
Exercise. Movement. Pull your achy body off the couch every day and work those quivering muscles, stretch those tight joints, perhaps join one of the many Parkinson’s programs in town that involve everything from dancing to hiking.
“For people living with Parkinson’s disease, regular exercise can reduce symptoms, help treatments work better and potentially even slow the disease progression,” Rachel Dolhun, principal medical advisor at the Michael J. Fox Foundation, wrote in an e-mail. “For some, exercise can look like participating in boxing classes. For others, it’s water aerobics, dancing or playing pickleball. Just remember that any type of and amount of exercise can positively support your journey.”
If you’re like me and you just want to punch Parky in the face, boxing works best. The 83 tough souls who t pay $179 a month to battle in the Kaizen Kinetics program agree.
“I hit the bag really hard like I’m hitting Parkinson’s,” said Rich Pumilia, 66, a lawyer from Monrovia. “Hitting it back for what it’s doing to me.”
I became aware of Jody Hould’s program, which she leads with the help of husband Tom, son Zac and Anthony Rutherford, shortly after I was diagnosed. I kept seeing their pamphlets in doctors offices and rehab centers. At the time, they were part of the popular Parkinson’s-battling Rock Steady Boxing program that has several locations through southern California. By the time I worked up the courage to fully face my illness and call the number on the pamphlet two years ago, Kaizen had become an independent program with a similar focus on boxing.
”Boxing is balancing, posture, turning, pivoting, extension, range of motion, using your core, everything that’s important to fighting the disease,” said Hould, who started the program nine years ago in memory of her late mother, Julie, who died of complications from Parkinson’s. “Plus, it’s fun to punch something.”
Hould and her team run a fast-moving program, barking out a series of punches and kicks while offering gentle reminders to those who hook when they should jab.
“Parkinson’s doesn’t take any vacations, it doesn’t take any days off, we have to be on top of our game, we have to be proactive in our fight,” Hould said. “Not only is it good for the spirit, it’s good for the mind.”
But it can be tough on the ego, as I quickly learned when a frail white-haired woman out-punched me one day while screaming at the bag. Another time an aging man with tremors and shuffled steps pounded the bag so hard it skidded into my feet.
I once showed up with a cut on my left hand and informed Hould that I would not be boxing that day.
“You still have your right hand, don’t you?” she said. “So you box one-handed.”
Bill Plaschke, right, and Paul Tellstrom team up during a boxing class for people with Parkinson’s disease at Kaizen Martial Arts Studio.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The 75-minute sessions are hard. Every exercise and maneuver are seemingly designed to do something I now have difficulty doing. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes you want to be anywhere else.
But it works. It can’t kill Parky, but it can quiet him. Hould never promises a cure, but she sees some relief in those who join the battle. There was one boxer who eventually abandoned her walker. Others have seen a reduction in their tremors. Throughout the windowless gym there is real hope that this disease can be slowed.
Pumilia is convinced his condition has improved after attending classes for eight weeks.
“When I was diagnosed, my doctor said you have five good years left before your life is going to be impacted,” said Pumilia. “Now my doctor is basically saying, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing, but keep doing it.’”
Sharon Michaud, 65, a retired insurance executive who has also come to class for eight years, agrees.
“Without a doubt, it’s helped me,” said Michaud, who is noticeable in the class because she moves like a gymnast. “With Parkinson’s it’s easy to get into a funk and get depressed. You come here and it’s nice to know there are other people like you. I’m amazed more people don’t know there’s places like this out here.”
Maybe this story will shed some light on that. Maybe this story will inform a closeted Parkinson’s patient about programs like Kaizen Kinetics and empower them to pick up the phone and join.
If you decide to come to Monrovia, I’ll be the breathless guy in the back still unable to deliver a knockout punch but continually inspired by fellow fighters to keep trading blows with my hardest of truths.
I leave that gym sweaty and sore but uplifted with the reminder that I am blessed to still lead a wonderful active life filled with family and friends and work and travel and so, so much hope.
I have Parkinson’s. But, by God, it doesn’t have me.
“He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.
“We welcome all prayers for healing and for peace.
Jake Paul reveals ‘hefty’ six-man hit-list of opponents for next fight including Anthony Joshua and world champ
“We are trying to keep life as normal as possible for our children currently and doing our best to support them thoughtfully, so please refrain from discussing it with them for now.”
Fans were quick to send their well wishes to the Askren family.
FormerUFCchamp Henry Cejudo wrote on X: “Pray for Ben Askren.”
One fan wrote: “You got this Ben, keep fighting.”
While another commented: “Wishing the best for Ben Askren and his family. Ben was an innovative and creative wrestler in his prime and now he builds up some of the best wrestlers America has ever seen. The wrestling world owes a debt of gratitude to a man like him.”
He’s currently in the hospital and unable to respond to anything at this time.
Amy Askren
Askren began wrestling at the age of just 6.
He competed for the Missouri Tigers in college, twice becoming a D1 national champion.
Askren was a member of the 2008 US Olympics wrestling team, where he lost in the quarterfinals to Cuba’sIvan Fundoraon points.
Following his Olympic adventure, the Iowa-native transitioned into MMA.
WASHINGTON — Migrants placed on a deportation flight originally bound for South Sudan are now being held in a converted shipping container on a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, where the men and their guards are contending with baking hot temperatures, smoke from nearby burn pits and the looming threat of rocket attacks, the Trump administration said.
Officials outlined grim conditions in court documents filed Thursday before a federal judge overseeing a lawsuit challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement efforts to swiftly remove migrants to countries they didn’t come from.
Authorities landed the flight at the base in Djibouti, about 1,000 miles from South Sudan, more than two weeks ago after U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston found the Trump administration had violated his order by swiftly sending eight migrants from countries including Cuba and Vietnam to the east African nation.
The judge said that men from other countries must have a real chance to raise fears about dangers they could face in South Sudan.
The men’s lawyers, though, have still not been able to talk to them, said Robyn Barnard, senior director of refugee advocacy at Human Rights First, whose stated mission is to ensure the United States is a global leader on human rights. Barnard spoke Friday at a hearing of Democratic members of Congress and said some family members of the men had been able to talk to them Thursday.
The migrants have been previously convicted of serious crimes in the U.S., and President Trump’s administration has said that it was unable to return them quickly to their home countries. The Justice Department has also appealed to the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and allow swift deportations to third countries to resume.
The case comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by the Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The legal fight became another flashpoint as the administration rails against judges whose rulings have slowed the president’s policies.
The Trump administration said the converted conference room in the shipping container is the only viable place to house the men on the base in Djibouti, where outdoor daily temperatures rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the declaration from an ICE official.
Nearby burn pits are used to dispose of trash and human waste, and the smog cloud makes it hard to breathe, sickening both ICE officers guarding the men and the detainees, the documents state. They don’t have access to all the medication they need to protect against infection, and the ICE officers were unable to complete antimalarial treatment before landing, an ICE official said.
“It is unknown how long the medical supply will last,” Mellissa B. Harper, acting executive deputy associate director of enforcement and removal operations, said in the declaration.
The group also lacks protective gear in case of a rocket attack from terrorist groups in Yemen, a risk outlined by the Department of Defense, the documents state.
Whitehurst writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.
