Paula Slinger

Paula’s Coming Back…

The Wednesday Soup Luncheon had never seen anything quite like it before. Rock Steady Boxing head trainer Kristy Follmar had strapped the red boxing gloves on Paula Slinger’s hands and was screaming “Up! 10 times! Faster, Paula! You gotta hit harder than that!”

The 35-person group of mostly senior citizens watched in shock as their normally shy friend jabbed and danced her way around the room with Kristy, showing off the last 18 months of classes she had been taking at Rock Steady.

Mary Kay seemed particularly impressed at Paula’s aggressiveness, confidence and strength as she watched her friend of more than 50 years throwing power punches to Kristy’s mitts – she hadn’t ever seen Paula like this. Mary Kay and Paula had gone to high school together in Terre Haute, Indiana and she remembered the devastating day that Paula was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. She watched her friend quickly deteriorate and many of their mutual friends would comment to her “You know, Paula just isn’t the same.”

Smiling, Mary Kay said, “But Paula’s coming back. She smiles and makes jokes, and the light has come back to her eyes – Paula’s coming back!”