Únase a nosotros para Unidos con el Parkinson

PCLA se complace en presentar Unidos con el Parkinson, una reunión mensual en línea para la comunidad de Parkinson de habla hispana, dirigida por Lisbeth Garcés de la Organización Juan Carlos. Unidos con el Parkinson se reúne mensualmente.

Conoce a Lisbeth

Lisbeth Garces nació en Venezuela, y vive en San Diego hace 30 años. Ella es la menor de tres hermanos y tres hermanas. Una de sus hermanas de 65 años sufre de Parálisis Cerebral y vive en Florida; su madre tuvo la enfermedad de Parkinson y falleció a los 80 años de edad y uno de sus hermanos, que también sufrió de EP, y vivía en Venezuela falleció recientemente en el 2020 a los 68 años de edad.

En el 2012 Lisbeth fundó la organización sin fines de lucro Juan Carlos Organization en honor a su hijo Juan Carlos quien falleció en 1999, a la edad de 15 años, debido a complicaciones de la Distrofia Muscular. La misión de Juan Carlos Organization es estimular la alegría, aceptación y logros para personas de todas edades con retos físicos, sensoriales o cognitivos a través de programas guiados de baile y ejercicios rítmicos.

Lisbeth se certificó en el año 2007 como instructora de zumba, y desde entonces ha combinado su extenso conocimiento de rutinas de baile y ejercicio, con su habilidad para identificar las necesidades individuales de sus alumnos. Lisbeth ha diseñado un extenso repertorio de rutinas de bailo terapia, adaptadas a todos los niveles de habilidad que incluyen modificaciones para asegurar que serán beneficiosas para todos los participantes.

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Join us for Unidos con el Parkinson

PCLA is pleased to present Unidos con el Parkinson, a monthly online meetup for the Spanish-speaking Parkinson’s community, led by Lisbeth Garces of the Juan Carlos Organization. Unidos con el Parkinson meets the first Monday of each month.

Meet Lisbeth

Since 2007, Lisbeth Garces has sought to provide dance therapy exercise for people with disabilities in memory of her late son, Juan Carlos Garces, who suffered from Muscular Dystrophy.

Lisbeth was born in Venezuela, the youngest in a family of seven siblings. At the age of twenty she gave birth to her son Juan Carlos. After five years she received the devastating diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy. At this point Lisbeth decided to devote all her time and energy to improving her son’s quality of life.

Lisbeth is not without personal experience in living with people with disabilities. Lisbeth’s sister lives with cerebral palsy, her mother suffered with Parkinson’s before she passed away and her brother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 60 and passed away at 68 in 2020. Her sister did not receive any medical support or an education, and had no social interaction outside of the immediate family. She witnessed the slow decline in her mother’s health while caring for her daughter. Having seen the disturbing way in which people with disabilities live in Venezuela, Lisbeth made a vow to give her son a life full of physical and social activities that would enrich his life. She made the courageous decision to leave her native country and come to the U.S. After holding a fundraiser to help pay for her and Juan Carlos’ airfare to America, they arrived in San Diego hoping to find medical and social support. Lisbeth spoke no English and had no immediate source of income.

After Juan Carlos’ death Lisbeth returned to her love of dancing and Latin musical roots, becoming certified as a Zumba® instructor and  teaching low-income special needs students about the joy that can be achieved through joyful dance therapy exercise. Her repertoire expanded to people living with Down’s syndrome, Parkinson’s, Autism, Muscular Dystrophy, even people in wheelchairs. 

Lisbeth envisioned a program that would provide regular classes for people with disabilities. With drive, inspiration, and a gift for dance, she recruited a Board of Directors to form a new non-profit, Juan Carlos Organization, in May of 2012.