PFP Participant Spotlight - Meet Lacy!
Lacy after a Strength & Balance Class
Lacy’s enthusiasm, smile and energy have become a staple in recent months at our local classes at Covenant Presbyterian Church and this week we are excited to share more of Lacy’s story and officially welcome him into the PFP family!!
Lacy moved to Austin from Arkansas in late 2021 so that he and his lovely wife, Darlene, could be closer to their daughter and grandchildren. After taking a few months to settle into their new home in a retirement community in Austin, Lacy jumped right into classes with Power for Parkinson’s and hasn’t looked back since!! Lacy has incorporated daily movement (in the form of PFP classes, Tai Chi and other classes at his retirement village) into his life here in Austin and really feels that the more he exercises, the more he is able to do in his day-to-day life.
The emotional/non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s including depression, anxiety and difficulty concentrating have been some of the biggest issues Lacyhas faced since his diagnosis in 2018. He was able to work for two more years after his diagnosis before retiring, but after the pandemic hit, Lacy really noticed an acceleration in his non-motor symptoms. As someone who needs community to feel motivated, inspired and supported, Lacy found that doing everything online and not having as much direct contact with people had an impact on how he felt emotionally and how he coped with his Parkinson’s. One of the many reasons he loves exercising in group classes is the simple fact that he gets to share the experience with others and that has led to an immeasurable improvement in his mood and general sense of wellbeing.
Lacy is especially passionate about supporting others with Parkinson’s who experience these lesser-known symptoms. He has found that being a part of the PFP family has helped him deal with these non-motor PD symptoms with a greater sense of ease and acceptance and is now proud to be helping others on their Parkinson’s journey through a weekly support group he is part of at his retirement community.
While Lacy is committed to living his days in such a way that he is supporting himself as best he can living with PD, he has also made a conscious decision not to let Parkinson’s dominate his present life experience. At first he felt a lot of frustration and anger at the timing of his diagnosis - on the cusp of his retirement, for which he had big dreams and plans, but he now looks at his diagnosis in a more pragmatic way. Musing that as we all age different health challenges come our way, and on reflection if he had to choose something he would choose living with Parkinson’s.
However, living with Parkinson’s is just one small part of Lacy’s vibrant life. He worked as a pastor for over 40 years in a number of churches around the US. He is originally from Charlotte, North Carolina but has lived in Oklahoma City, Hot Springs, Arkansas and Houston where he successfully merged two churches and grew the congregation successfully with another pastor. In 2014 Lacy received a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary; which took him 5 years to complete through distance education as well as some in-person classes. Lacy felt the calling to pursue a life of service at an early age, initially thinking that he wanted to be a hospital chaplain, but after working in a church he reports that he just fell in love with it. Lacy prides himself on serving as a pastor that takes time to understand people and really see them in this complicated world that we live in, fostering deep connections with everyone he meets. He married Darlene within a year of meeting her and she, too, has lived a life of service working in Hospice as a bereavement specialist. Now retired, the two of them love running after their grandkids here in Austin and have grand plans to take off on a big driving tour around the country; meeting up with old friends and returning to places that they have lived and worked previously. Amazing adventures in this new season of life await them both no doubt!!
Lacy, we thank you so much for your enthusiasm and the joy you bring to class. Your passion for movement and connection with others shines out of you every time you step into a PFP class and we are so grateful for the positive energy you share with us all. We also thank you for being so open and sharing what your unique journey with Parkinson’s has looked like so far and the emotional struggles that have come with it. We know our PFP community will appreciate your candid sharing and honesty.