BEACHWOOD, Ohio – (WJW) – Every six minutes someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

This April, for Parkinson’s Awareness Month, FOX 8 is taking you to a place designed to keep clients moving and help improve their quality of life.

“Inmotion” in Beachwood is a place unlike any other nearby.

Part fitness center and full of classes, but workouts at InMotion are not about appearances but how movement can improve the quality of life for those changed forever with four words.

“You have Parkinson’s Disease.”

The words have forever changed the life of Kris Tesar who was diagnosed in October 2021.

“It was a gut punch. I was devastated,” said Tesar. “I am very active, always have been. And when I walked I felt like Pinocchio, I felt like my leg, especially my left side, like my legs were made of wood.”

The retired nurse sank to an all-time low.

Her spirits were uplifted when she found “Inmotion,” a donor-funded non-profit where anyone diagnosed with Parkinson’s can come free of charge.

“This place is a game changer,” said Tesar. “I get choked up thinking about it.”

“So it’s really training the opposite way of the symptoms and that’s where we see the magic happen,” said Co-founder Ben Rossi.

“I have what’s called young onset,” said Client Rob Felber. “So I was around 49 when my first symptoms showed up.”

In the years since Felber has gained strength and confidence. He now finishes 5k’s with his family and comes to “Inmotion” as a client and volunteer coach.

Since 2020, “Inmotion” has recorded nearly 120 thousand visits and says Parkinson’s is one of the fastest-growing neurological diseases in the country.

“You can come and have the benefit of the community, leave the stigma at the door, and really walk out the door feeling a little bit strong and taller and able to face your life than when you walked in,” said CEO Cathe Schwartz.

Inmotion provides a soft-landing post-diagnosis and perhaps most importantly the hope that better days are just ahead.

InMotion uses exercise, education, and the arts to help clients regain control of symptoms and their lives. To learn more about the free-programing, click here.