Fighting Parkinson's disease together at Moving Day Long Island

The first hint of a problem for Harry Zouros came in 2018. The fitness enthusiast who competed in high-endurance races noticed his hands began to shake and his left side didn't feel right.

Still, he traveled to Greece to compete in the Trifecta World Championship Spartan Race, unaware of a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease that awaited him.

On Saturday, Zouros, 52, of Hicksville, was joined by more than 40 friends and supporters at Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park in Oyster Bay for Moving Day Long Island, a 1-mile walk and fundraiser for the Parkinson's Foundation.

Zouros and his supporters wore matching T-shirts that featured a photo of his head taken at the 2018 Spartan Race placed on a Spider-Man body. Underneath it read, "The Adventures of Peter Parkinsons."

"When I put my feet down on the ground, it's not me worrying what the Parkinson's going to do to me," Zouros said. "It's what I'm going to do to Parkinson's that day — how hard I'm going to push that day."

Zouros' spirit and lifestyle embody what experts say is critical to confronting a disease that affects about 1.1 million people in the United States, according to the Parkinson's Foundation. Staying active plays a vital role in slowing the progression of the disease, a key theme for the event that featured demonstrations of dance, boxing and tai chi.

The walk, which drew about 350 participants, raised $100,000 as of Saturday morning with additional funds still to be tabulated, said organizer Ann Warren of the Parkinson's Foundation.

"This event is to bring everybody together as one community and show that Long Island is here as a family supporting one another," she said.

Funds support people with Parkinson's, plus caregivers, educational programs and other resources, Warren said.

Dr. Iffat Jabeen, a Northwell Health neurologist who specializes in Parkinson's and other movement disorders, said people are often devastated when diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disorder.

"More than anything, it's important to have that idea that this is not a death sentence," she said, adding people can live long, happy lives with treatment.

In some cases, the diagnoses have served "like an alarm" to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle that helps them overall despite the disease, she said.

Stella Stamatopoulos, 62, of Oceanside, said she was diagnosed in 2017, but her symptoms started nearly a decade prior with a little twitch in her finger or tripping over her own foot.

Eight years after her diagnosis, she uses two canes for support and keeps active through physical therapy, Rock Steady Boxing — a noncontact, boxing-based fitness program designed for people with Parkinson's — and dancing.

Her daughter, Maria Stamatopoulos, 29, said it's been an "amazing experience" organizing a fundraising team that surpassed $2,500 by Friday night.

Bruce Waxman, 68, of Rockville Centre, was diagnosed with Parkinson's three years ago. Through donations from than 50 friends and family, his group, "Bruce's Brigade," raised more than $6,000 this year.

"It's almost like mourning your past life," he said of processing the initial diagnosis.

He continues to push forward with biweekly stretching, pickleball, high-intensity interval training and more.

"You have to keep going," he said, "one day at a time."